A standard seven pupil died while swimming with his friends in a quarry at Ang’orom village in Teso South sub county, Busia County.
Felix Oburu, aged 18 years, who was a pupil at Ang’orom primary drowned while swimming with his five other friends in the quarry which was full of water. “We were swimming when he joined us and after some time I had my friends shouting that Felix had drowned. I thought it was a joke he would come up but he didn’t. I tried to save him but I failed because the place where he had drowned was very deep,” explained one of the boys who were with the deceased.
Local divers tried to retrieve the body from the fifteen feet quarry but failed and it took the intervention of Busia County government fire engine, which drew water from the quarry, to lower the water level and enable the divers to retrieve it after eighteen hours.
The incident has drawn criticism from area residents who have decried of numerous quarries that have caused many deaths in the area. “This is not the first death caused by these quarries in this area. We have lost very many people in quarries which construction companies dug marram and left them open and because of heavy rains, they are full of water and pose great danger to people. The government should ensure that they are filled up to avert further tragedies.”
And in a separate incident, a 45-year-old man died after he was beaten in a chang’aa den at Goria village in Teso South sub county. Stanley Omuruon was beaten to death by a neighbor after the two quarreled over a handset.
