Nampula city: Child dies in Muhala river – report

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Nampula city: Child dies in Muhala river – report

4:23 CAT | 31 Jan 2020

Photo: Notícias

A girl under the age of five died Tuesday after being swept away by the Muhala river in the neighbourhood of Belenenses, on the outskirts of the city of Nampula.

The girl was bathing in the Muhala river in the company of two friends just where a rainwater drainage ditch enters it.

Gervásio Abreu, who witnessed the incident, said that the child was swimming with two adults, and that the girl’s companions, presumed to be family members, were, in his opinion, negligent in allowing her to approach the most dangerous part of the river.

“If one of the uncles had acted quickly, the child could have been saved,” said Gervásio Abreu, adding that the child was still afloat and screaming for help as she was swept away, but no-one went to her assistance.

He also said that responsibility rested with the family members themselves, as they allowed the child to go to the river to bathe when it was raining torrentially.

Another neighbourhood resident, Angelina Artur, said she was sorry about the incident, but that it was not the first time a child had been swept away by the river this year.

The National Service of Public Salvation (SENSAP) in Nampula meanwhile reiterated its call for parents and guardians to keep close watch over minors, especially in watercourses, so as to avoid further incidents.

Source: Notícias