Florentijn Hofman's Big Rubber Duck disappears in China floodwaters

Florentijn Hofman is the chap who specialises in massive, mainly animal sculptures. We've posted about his fun work in the past and admired the way it brings people together.
You may remember the post about his Rubber Duck Project. 
Having been a success around his native Netherlands & Western Europe, the huge yellow foul is turning up in harbours around the world as a part of major festivals and exhibitions.

Big Rubber Duck deflates in Hong Kong harbour, May 2013

In Hong Kong the Big Rubber Duck deflated, in Taiwan it exploded 'in unexplained circumstances' and now in China's Guizhou Province the popular bird, seen by some 4m people in one month, was swept away by floodwaters.

The Big Rubber Duck in Guizhou, China, before it was swept away by floodwaters, July 2014

Apparently the BRD was taken by the tsunami that caught the area unawares so that despite being tethered to an enormous, anchor-like, underwater stanchion weighing some 10 tonnes, the bird was swept out to sea and destroyed.
Poor Florentijn Hofman. Poor Big Rubber Duck. The project, which brings joy and delight to the populous wherever it appears, has not experienced the best of luck on its recent Asian travels.

BRD in Osaka harbour, Japan, in 2009

Whether the extreme conditions that appear to befall BRD can be attributed to climate change or very bad luck is probably only known by Hofman's insurers who are in all likelihood the only people not to have been disappointed by these occurrences.
We wish Hofman, Big Rubber Duck and the continuing Rubber Duck Project all the luck in the world and hope this event brings an end to its nautical misfortunes.
Quack.