By Nange Mbehni
According to reports from Awing Quarter, about 30 students went swimming in the 15‑meter dam on Saturday at about 2 pm after school. While most of them left the water after a few minutes, two girls, Shimita and Kiara, remained behind.
Witnesses say Shimita’s twin sister noticed her struggling and attempted to rescue her with a bamboo stick, but the effort failed. The other students quickly alerted the community, which tried unsuccessfully to save the victims.
The army rescue team was called to the scene, but divers were unable to locate the children. A second attempt early Sunday also failed.
Later in the afternoon, members of the Mbatu community carried out a thorough search and eventually recovered the bodies. Witnesses report that one of the victims was foaming, and both were bleeding from the nostrils and ears.
The incident has left the families and community in shock. The army rescue team has advised that the bodies be taken to the morgue for autopsy. However, the victims’ relatives and the Mbatu quarter head insist that tradition requires such victims to be buried by the dam, warning that taking them to the morgue could bring misfortune to the community.
