By ‘Mantoetse Maama
MASERU –— A 13-year-old boy who had just sat for the Primary Leaving School Examinations drowned in Maqalika last Tuesday.
The teenager drowned while swimming with friends in the dam.
The deceased’s father, Letsie Mohatlane says his son left home at around 10 am saying they were going to play.
“His friends from school came to our home to fetch him. They told his mother that they were going to play some games at the market place but they went to Maqalika Dam,” Mohatlane said.
“When I brought my younger son home from school at around 1:30 pm there was a group of children at my house. They told me that there was a man who asked them to come and inform me that my son had drowned in the dam,” he said.
Mohatlane said he was told that his son’s friends had fled when he drowned. When he went to the scene to check he found his son’s clothes on the shores of the dam.
“The man who had sent the children to my house told me that they had informed police about the incident. Police officers got into the dam but came out saying it was too deep”.
He said police left saying they were going to get the necessary diving equipment.
When the police did not come back to the scene some villagers tried to search but were not successful. They left the place late at night.
“On Wednesday morning we went to the dam again. Some boys volunteered to assist. They went into the water for about 15 minutes then they recovered my son body,” Mohatlane said.
“We are planning to bury him on Saturday,” he said.
Police spokesperson Thato Ramarikhoane confirmed that the boy’s dead body was recovered after two days.
“Police officers together with the villagers were working hand in hand to recover the boy’s dead body,” Ramarikhoane said.
He said the rescue officers who went to the scene and realised that they needed oxygen so they went back to get the oxygen canister.
He said this year this is the second incident of drowning.
“Earlier this year two men drowned in Phuthiatsana River. The deceased were pumping water when the drowned,” he said.
