Mother and daughter drown while fetching water…

A 40-year-old woman and her 7-year-old daughter have drowned in a water filled ditch while fetching water in Chanda Mwamba Village in Luwingu District in northern province. Confirming the incident in a statement made to the media in Kasama, Northern Province Police Commanding Officer Simunji Mulonda said the two died around 12:30 hours on Saturday after the daughter slipped into the ditch. Mr Mulonda has identified the victims, as Annie Chibusha and her daughter Esther Chibusha.

The Northern Province Commanding Officer disclosed that the mother in an attempt to rescue her child also fell in the ditch and both drowned. The Police Commanding Officer said the ditch was located in an area where gravel was being mined. He revealed that a witness who was also fetching water nearby raised the alarm, but villagers who rushed to the scene found the two already dead.

Mr Mulonda said the bodies of the deceased were later retrieved and kept at the family home for burial. He described the incident as a preventable tragedy. “This heartbreaking loss highlights the dangers of drawing water from unsafe places.

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We advise members of the public to use designated wells to avoid such fatalities,” he said. Mr Mulonda said police visited the scene and confirmed no foul play was suspected adding that an inquiry file had been opened. In a related development, two people have died after a house collapsed following heavy rains in Kaliminwa village, in Mporokoso District. Northern Province Police Commanding Officer Simunji Mulonda confirmed this in a statement and identified the victims, as Saviour Bwalya, 21, and Lillian Kabwe, 14.

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