Marine forces in Rubavu District are searching for the body of a 23-year- old student at Gacuba Baptist College who drowned in Lake Kivu.

Innocent Majyambere, a senior five student allegedly deserted school, last Sunday, in the company of two of his classmates after routine weekend of school duties.

Simeon Havugamenshi, the father of the deceased, alleged that his son drowned because he did not know how to swim.

"We stay in Bugeshi Sector several kilometres away from Lake Kivu and

it was his first time to step into the lake, and that could have been the

reason for his death,” Havugamenshi said.

Since yesterday morning, efforts by the marines to recover

the body of the deceased have been futile.

"The problem we are faced with is that we don’t know the exact

spot where he drowned making the search complicated,” said Lt. Col. Theodore Bahizi, the Commander of the Marine Regiment.

Since the deceased’s colleagues do not know the point where he

drowned, the marine have been compelled to widen the search.

"If we don’t get the body, we expect that it will float after 48 hours

given the nature of the waters of Lake Kivu,” added Bahizi.

For fear of punishment, the students who had escaped with the

deceased declined to notify the school authorities until it was too late
to intervene.

Ends