A hippopotamus was caught on camera dragging a child to his death in Lake Victoria as screaming crowds desperately pelted the animal with rocks.
The little boy had been playing by the shore in Mbita, Kenya, as adults washed clothes nearby.
Footage shows the child submerged in the murky water as residents helplessly cried out.
The animal eventually released the boy but he died from his injuries.
In the clip, which was originally filmed on September 16, residents can be seen rushing toward the water's edge.
Crowds scream and cry out in the background as the hippo drags the boy further out into the water.
The predator rears its head from under the surface as those gathered on the banks of the lake throw rocks and sticks in its direction.
One man can be heard saying 'oh Jesus' as the hippo continuously submerges itself under the water.
The boy's body was later recovered.
A hippopotamus was caught on camera dragging a child to his death in Lake Victoria as screaming crowds desperately pelted the animal with rocks
It is thought that hippo attacks have recently increased around the Lake Victoria region.
'For the last four months, the hippos have been terrorising residents and making it impossible for fishermen to run their errands during the evening,' a resident told Kenyans.co.ke.
Local authorities have recently asked the Kenya Wildlife Service to intervene and station a response team nearby for more immediate action.
William Onditi, chairman of Suba South Beach Management Unit Network, told the publication: 'There should be officers on standby to tame the animals whenever they move out of the water.
'The officers can use their guns to scare them back to the water because civilians don't have the ability to do so because we don't have weapons.'
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