A 26-year old young man suffocated in a 25 metre pit latrine in Mukura Sector, Huye District on Monday afternoon as he tried to retrieve a wallet that had fallen in.

Emmanuel Nyirinkindi volunteered to get the wallet that contained Rwf320,000 from the latrine, for a fee of 20,000.

Residents say his father earned a living digging pit latrines and was called upon from time to time to help retrieve objects that had dropped in.

The owner of the wallet, Providence Nyirababyeyi, said she tried to dissuade him but Munyankindi was adamant, saying he was accustomed to helping his father.

According to Jean Claude Nzayisenga, one of the neighbours, Nyirababyeyi had gone to the deceased’s home seeking his father’s help but he was absent.

"Nyirinkindi said that since his father was absent he would do the job, despite his mother’s insistence not to go,” he said.

The man then allegedly dug a hole parallel to the slab of concrete covering the toilet and went in without any protection.

"We only talked once when he told me that he had got the money, but after a long time without uttering any other word, I decided to ask the sector and district leadership for help. They then called the Police for rescue,” explained Nyirababyeyi.

The Regional Police Commander for the Southern Province, CSP Simon Peter Mukama, urged people to avoid going into pits that have been in use for long as they contain dangerous gases.

He said a similar incident occurred about two weeks ago in Nyaruguru District, where a person dropped a phone in a pit latrine and died trying to retrieve it.

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