BY PETER KARANJA
Three families are in mourning after their children drowned in River Kiama in Gatanga, Murang’a County on Sunday, January 9.
According to sources, the three friends had gone out for a swim after playing together – and even sharing a meal – on the fateful day.
The three boys were in standard seven the at the Mabae Primary School.
The incident happened just minutes after the three left a barber shop where they had gone for a haircut – ready to resume their studies on Monday, January 10.
Sources told Mwanahabari that the three boys decided to take a quick swim in the deep river as they were headed home from Kirwara market.
“The boys passed by my house and were even served food by my wife. It seems that after being shaved, they thought it was quite early and decided to pass by the river and swim,” a neighbor told Citizen.
The three bodies were retrieved from the river by local divers who rushed to the scene. Two bodies were retrieved on Sunday night, while a third one was retrieved on Monday morning.
The bodies have since been taken to the morgue awaiting postmortem.
There are talks that the boys may have drowned while trying to help one of them who may have struggled to swim.
What to do if you witness someone drown
- It is advisable that you Do NOT attempt to rescue a person who is drowning in the water by jumping in if you have not been trained as you will be endangering yourself.
- Try and throw a flotation device such as a life jacket, rescue tube or extend a long pole for the person to hold onto – and pull them out.
- If the person was swimming in cold water, get blankets or otherwise help bring the person’s body temperature back to normal.
What to do if you are drowning
- It is important not to panic.
- Keep your head up and try to breathe normally. The body floats better when the lungs are full of air.
- Toss away anything heavy weighing you down such as shoes or bags.
- If there are people around, attract attention by shouting, waving and splashing water.
- If you are tired, try to lie on your back and tilt your head back as well so your eyes look at the sky.
- Try to stay as relaxed as possible as tense muscles use up more oxygen than relaxed muscles