Two feared dead after canoe capsizes in Tana River
Two people, including a Grade Three pupil, are feared to have drowned after a canoe capsized while crossing the Tana River at Mnazini crossing point in Tana Delta Sub-County.
The incident was reported at about 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The missing persons were identified as 22-year-old Ali Salim Awadhi, a resident of Mnazini Village, and a Grade Three pupil at Mnazini Primary School.
According to police, the canoe overturned while crossing the river, throwing its occupants into the water. The two disappeared beneath the surface and are feared to have drowned.
Residents from Mnazini and Kitere villages, assisted by police officers, immediately launched a search operation. Police officers remained at the scene coordinating search and recovery efforts with members of the local community.
The circumstances surrounding the capsizing are under investigation.
Elsewhere, police in Bungoma County are investigating the circumstances under which a 35-year-old woman was found dead floating in a dam in Bungoma South Sub-County.
The body of Martha Nafula Manyonge was discovered by villagers on Sunday morning in Mayanja Dam at Sango “B” Village, about three kilometres from Mayanja Vitunguu Police Station.
Police officers visited the scene and established that the woman had left her home at about 7 p.m. on Saturday while appearing distressed.
Police said the deceased was known to have epilepsy and a mental health condition.
Her body was found naked, while her clothes—including a black pair of shorts, a black flowered skirt, an orange blouse, a black-and-white jumper and orange Crocs shoes—were recovered on the shore of the dam.
A preliminary examination found no visible physical injuries on the body.
Crime scene investigators processed and documented the scene before the body was moved to the Bungoma County Referral Hospital mortuary, where it is awaiting a post-mortem examination to establish the cause of death.
Police said investigations into the incident are ongoing.