Two boys feared dead in River Nyabarongo

KARONGI – Residents and local authorities in Karongi and Ruhango districts have mounted a search for two boys who are feared dead after they drowned in River Nyabarongo. Twelve-year old Vianney Nafashimana and Patrick Hitimana, 13, both from Ruhango, reportedly went missing as they swam in the fast-flowing river along a boundary that separates the two districts. Their grieving parents told local authorities that they were not aware of the teenagers’ disappearance until late evening on the day they went missing. “They had gone without our notice. It’s not until late in the evening when we were told that they had been seen out swimming in the river but it was too late to intervene,” one of the parents was quoted as saying. Since the incident occurred, last Monday, efforts to recover the bodies of the deceased have been futile. Hopes of finding any of the boys alive or even their bodies have since diminished. The Executive Secretary of Kinihira Sector – where the incident occurred – Ernest Uwimana, told The New Times that there were no hopes of tracing the victims since the river flows fast. “The major problem is that the river could have swept away the boys to a distant spot making it difficult to trace them,” he noted. Uwimana cautioned families living near the river, urging them to monitor the movement of their children to prevent similar incidents in the future. sam.nkurunziza@newtimes.co.rw

National

Two boys feared dead in River Nyabarongo