An out-of-control SUV sped across several lanes of flyover traffic, then plunged more than 50ft into a ravine in the grounds of New York’s Bronx Zoo, killing all seven people aboard, including three children.

Officials have closed the Reptile House at New York’s Bronx Zoo after a poisonous Egyptian cobra disappeared from an enclosure that was separate from the animal exhibits.

WILDLIFE researchers said yesterday they have discovered 125,000 western lowland gorillas deep in the forests of the Republic of Congo, calling it a major increase in the animal’s estimated population.