. Kasosa

By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA –
AN attempt by two men to retrieve a body from the Kafue River in Kitwe on Sunday turned tragic when in the process of executing the operation, the duo drowned.
The duo drowned after the canoe they were using to try to retrieve the body from the water near the Nkana Water and Sewerage Company treatment plant in Nkana East capsized.
The drowning of the two, sparked riots by residents of nearby Chipata Township, who vented their anger on fire brigade officers, brutally beating them for allegedly being the cause of the tragedy.
This was after the fire brigade officers failed to retrieve the body from the water because of strong current that caused the drowned men to attempt to execute the operation using a canoe which unfortunately capsized.
Copperbelt police chief Joyce Kasosa yesterday confirmed the tragedy which happened around 17:00 hours.
A check by the Times yesterday around 09:00 hours at Nkana Water Treatment Plant area found the body which caused the drowning of the two men still floating on the water.
The two drowned victims were unaccounted for as their bodies were still missing.
Kitwe Police commanding officer Lizzy Machina and Kitwe City Council (KCC) chief fire officer Rabson Mbao, who were found at the scene of drowning identified the two deceased men as Ernest Kondwani, 38, of house number 07/04, Chipata Township and his counterpart Rodson Yona, 35, of 09/49 the same area.
Ms Machina said the fire brigade could not retrieve the body because of the strong current in the river which required the services of trained divers from the commando unit.
Mr Mbao said the fire brigade department received a call around 17:00 of a drowning case and when officers got to the scene, they encountered challenges in retrieving the body because of the strong current which required the services of trained personnel of the marine section from the commando unit.
“It was then that two men got a canoe and went onto the water to try and retrieve the body from the river but unfortunately, the canoe capsized causing them to drown,” Mr Mbao said.
He said this caused uproar among the residents who descended on the two fire brigade officers beating them to near death.
Mr Mbao said the fire officers were severely beaten leaving one with a fractured skull and the other a fractured arm.