GATSIBO-Grief engulfed Gakoni Polytechnic students in Gatsibo District when news broke that one of their students had drowned in Lake Muhazi.

The incident took place on Thursday evening in Kiramuruzi Sector where the school is located.

Police said that the deceased, Ejide Nshimyimfura, who was a senior four student at the school, had gone his classmates to swim in the lake when he drowned.

"He went to swim with his friends on the evening of Thursday. We later heard school authorities calling us for the rescue of the deceased on Friday,” a police official said.

Late Nshimiyimana’s roommate, who had gone to swim with the deceased, narrated the ordeal.

"We left the school at around 3pm on Thursday evening going to swim. When we started swimming I didn’t see him again. I screamed for help but rescuers came late when he was already dead,” he said.

Another student, Fred Sesonga said that when he went to fetch water at the lake, he found the deceased’s clothes along the lake shore.

Erneste Munyangabe, the school head teacher, admitted that students normally go to fetch water at the lake due to scarcity of water in the school.

"It’s true that students sometimes go to fetch water at the lake but we warn them not to swim,” he told reporters.

One of the students, who preferred not to be named, told The Sunday Times that apart from last year, at least one student dies in the lake every year.

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