Volunteer diver drowns as he searches for body of 12-year-old in Embakasi
A diver has drowned while on a mission to retrieve the body of a 12-year-old boy who drown at the Bhimji Quarry in Embakasi.
The volunteer, whom residents only identified as Mohammed alias ‘Kasee’, drowned on Wednesday afternoon as residents, friends and relatives anxiously waiting for the body of the boy watched.
Julius Ngugi, a standard six pupil at the Litmus Academy in Tassia, slipped and fell into the deep quarry as he played with his friends at 5pm on Sunday and since then, rescue efforts have been ongoing.
His mother, Leah Wamaitha, said her son had left the house at midday and went to play with his friends but later, one of his friends went to tell her that Julius had drowned.
SEARCH PARTY
“We came here with several neighbors and volunteers and we searched for him but we could not find him,” she said.
She said they lost hopes of finding the boy alive, since the section of the quarry where he had fell was deep and harbored a lot of water.
People dived into the river in turns, and ‘Mohammed’ was among those who got in at midday to try and find the remains of Ngugi. But he also drowned in the same spot that Julius did, as a crowd around the quarry watched.
Embakasi Deputy OPCPD, Patrick Manyasi, said police officers had been sent to the quarry and that the County Disaster Response Unit had been notified.
“On Sunday, we had also requested for the experts but they did not find the body. They, however, advised that due to the location and design of the quarry, people should keep off and wait for the body of the boy to float,” Mr Manyasi said.
