Two teenagers drown in Eyei River
At least two children drowned last week in the Eyei River in Mundri West County, Western Equatoria State, police have confirmed.
In a phone interview with The City Review on Monday, Lt. Double Seven, Mundri Police Inspector, said the two children drowned at different times.
“Just during these two days, we lost two of our children who died in the river.” The first incident happened on Friday, when a five-year-old girl went to wash their clothes and, unfortunately, due to negligence, she fell into the river and sank,” he said.
Lt. Seven added that the five-year-old girl, Khamisa Michael, was a resident of Mundri West County.
He said the girl could not have managed to get out of the water because she was too young to swim.
“Again, on the next day, a 17-year-old boy identified as Khamis Gibson Malaika was also sunk in the same river. Malaika went fishing, with the aim of coming back home, [but it] ended in a sad way,” Lt. Seven said.
He said although there was no clear information about Malaika’s drowning, he revealed that he was someone who had a case of nodding disease, which they suspected to be the cause of his death.
“Although there are several dangerous aquatic animals that some people suspect were responsible for Malaika’s death, there is a case of nodding disease. Of course, with nodding disease, [it is] always risky in such a place, maybe the sickness got him surprisingly in the middle of the river and that was why he got [to] drown, ” he suspected.
Seven urged parents to not allow the children to go to the river alone to wash.
He said the safety of the children and people with nodding disease lies in the hands of parents and guardians, adding that they need proper care and advice.
“Children need our care. Their protection will always come from us as parents and guardians, as well as those with nodding disease, because they are already mentally disturbed, not of their own making but by the disease. So, me and you need to be responsible for following in their footsteps,” he stated.
