Vietnam’s beloved sacred turtle dies

epa05112804 (FILE) A file picture dated 03 April 2011 shows conservation workers watching the turtle named Cu Rua swimming after it was captured at Hoan Kiem lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. The death of a popular turtle in Hanoi led to a national outpouring of sentiment on 20 January 2016. The turtle, known as 'Cu Rua,' or 'Great Grandfather,' had lived in Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake since the 19th century, and news of its death on 19 January inspired expressions of grief and the burning of incense. Cu Rua was around 120 years old, said Ha Dinh Duc, a biology professor who treated the giant turtle in recent years, although some believed Cu Rua was more than 700 years old. EPA/STR

HANOI: A sacred giant turtle venerated as a symbol of Vietnam’s independence struggle has died, state media said, prompting an outpouring of grief and fears the death bodes ill for an upcoming communist leadership handover.

The reptile, a critically endangered swinhoe softshell turtle, occupies a key mythological role in Vietnam -- in the past the turtle generally surfaced only rarely, with its sightings deemed auspicious.