A mother and her two children drowned after a canoe carrying them was attacked by a hippopotamus and capsized in the eastern part of the Zambezi region on Sunday.
The people who died in the incident were identified as Frizia Siyamukonga (age unknown), Brian Siyamukobo, who was a minor boy, and Astrida Siyamukobo (one year old).
They are all Zambian nationals, and their next of kin have been informed of their deaths.
Zambezi police spokesperson inspector Kisco Sitali confirmed the incident to The Namibian on Monday.
Sitali said Siyamukonga and the two children were travelling in the canoe in the Kasaya Channel between the Zambezi and Chobe rivers when they had the fatal encounter with a hippo at about 18h00.
The children’s father, Stephen Siyamukobo, was also in the canoe, Sitali reported. He survived the incident.
“We have recovered the bodies of the mother and the baby girl and are still searching for the body of the minor boy, who we suspected to have drowned as well,” he said.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy – subscribe now!
