The search for a 17-year-old boy who is feared drowned in a pond in Nyarutarama, a Kigali suburb, ended on Monday with rescuers failing to find any traces of the body.

Jean Paul Ndayisaba is feared to have drowned in a pond known as ‘Kwa Nyagahene’ in Gasabo District on Saturday.

Ndayisaba and his peers had reportedly gone swimming when the incident happened.

The three-day search was conducted since Saturday but Police confirmed it had called off the search after failing to find traces of the body.

"We did our best to retrieve the body but the pond is too muddy that his body might have got stuck at the bottom of the pond,” Police spokesperson Celestin Twahirwa said.

He added that there was no hope of finding the body because bodies of other people who previously drowned there had "disappeared.”

"The more time the body spends in water, the heavier it becomes and less likely to float,” Twahirwa said.

However, The New Times understands that a human body in the water starts to sink as soon as the air in its lungs is replaced with water. Once submerged, the body stays underwater until the bacteria in the gut and chest cavity produce enough gas—methane, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide—to float it to the surface.

Residents said about 19 people have drowned in the pond over the years.

But Twahirwa said although the pond is dangerous, that figure is inflated.

"That’s why we have deployed Police to ensure people have no more access to the pond,” he said.

Bereaved mother hopeful

Leonie Mukamana, the mother of the victim, mourned the death of her only child but still hoped to find the body. "We are camping here until the body floats. They promised to do their best to recover the body, but they have not come,” she said.

Residents asked authorities to find a lasting solution to the pond.

"We do not know what this pond serves, they should seal it off, otherwise more people are likely to die in it,” said an unidentified resident.

The residents also suggested that authorities deploy guards to permanently guard the place.

"We want leaders to put warning signs around the pond or deploy guards to stop people from entering the pond.

Our children pass here to and from school. We are not sure of their safety,” Samuel Mutuyimana, a resident said.

However, Vedaste Nsabimana, the executive secretary of Remera Sector, said there are already guards who protect the pond.

"There are guards at the pond but the victim tricked them to enter. The pond is useful and we advise people to use it appropriately,” he said.

The artificial pond was created in 2003.

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