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Herald Reporter
A day out in the swimming pool turned fatal in Mbare, Harare, yesterday after a five-year-old boy drowned while playing with friends. Harare City Council acting corporate communications manager Mr Michael Chideme confirmed the fatal incident last night. He said the boy, Blessed Chititi, was accompanied by his 15-year-old uncle when the tragedy struck.“The five-year-old boy died at a swimming pool in Mbare in the afternoon today (yesterday). “We are deeply saddened by the event. We want to give an alert to all parents that they should ensure that their children are accompanied by elders, preferably those who are also able to swim to complement our staff at the swimming pool sites,” said Mr Chideme.
He said indications were that the boy had earlier on complained of feeling cold before the uncle rushed home to take warm clothes.
“Tragedy struck when the uncle had rushed home,” said Mr Chideme.
He said council would assist the family in burial arrangements.
“The body has since been taken to our funeral parlour and we will assist the family in the best way possible,” he said.
Cases of people drowning had been on the rise in recent years. In January this year, an eight-year-old pupil at David Livingstone Primary School in the capital was found dead in the swimming pool.
It is suspected that the pupil, Mufaro Mutemba, sneaked into the pool at break time before the body was found floating during lunch hour. The Zimbabwe Republic Police reported that 80 people drowned across the country in 2015 alone with the force’s sub-aqua unit retrieving 78 bodies. The cases were reported between January and August last year.
Online Reporter