River of Death, 3 School Girls Drown
Three school girls drowned yesterday evening in Kathita River in Tharaka-Nithi County, bringing the number of primary school Pupils who have drowned in the river to eight in the past three weeks.
Confirming the 6 pm incident, area chief said the deceased, who had gone to fetch water from the river, decided to swim when the tragedy struck.
He said among the 3 Pupils who drowned two were in Grade Six at Kiorimba Primary School while one was in Grade Three in Rwatha Primary School.
Fortunately, the bodies of the girls were retrieved by local divers and were taken to Marimanti Level Four Hospital mortuary.
Area chief said the girls went to fetch water in the company of their mothers. However, on the way they met a group of women and mothers stopped to chat with them.
The girls did not stop to wait for their mothers they proceeded to the river.
When the women arrived at the river and could not find their daughters, they mounted a search only to find the girls’ shoes by the river bank.
The women called for help from the residents who retrieved the minors’ bodies from the river.
Last Sunday, two 13-year-old Class Seven and Class Six girls drowned in a River in the same constituency.
Three weeks ago, three children aged 13, 12 and 10 in the same constituency also drowned in Kathita River.
