Four siblings drown in Nsanje
Construction works of the Nsanje-Marka stretch of the M1 in Nsanje have robbed a family of four of its children who drowned yesterday in a pool of that formed at one of the places the construction company used to excavate soil for the road project.
Confirming the incident, Nsanje Police Station spokesperson Agnes Zalakoma said the children’s father, Samuel Phinifolo Tembo of Thikiti Village, Traditional Authority Ndamera in the District, reported to police on Thursday that bodies of three of his four children were found floating in the pool.
The body of the fourth child was found later after a further search.
Zalakoma said, according to the report, in the morning of the fateful day, Tembo had left home for his business place while his wife went to the family garden, leaving their children at home.
She said when the couple returned home at about noon, the children were not at home, and the parents believed they had gone out playing.
“The couple was informed by a family friend that bodies of their children had been found in the pool. This prompted the family to report the matter to Marka Police Unit, who immediately visited the scene of the accident and retrieved three bodies. The fourth was found after a further search,” she said.
The Shire Valley was affected by floods that were caused by Tropical Storm Ana. The receding waters have left pools of water raising the drowning risk in the process.
Police in the district have since cautioned parents against allowing their children to frequent construction sites.
The deceased children are aged between five and 15 years.
Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related deaths which have claimed over 2.5 million lives in the past decade, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates.
WHO reports on drowning show that floods and living near water are some of the drowning risk factors. WHO also notes that children below the age of 15 are at higher risk of drowning if left without the care of an adult.
