In a heartbreaking development, what was meant to be a fun swimming experience ended in tragedy after a 10-year-old boy drowned while swimming in a stream in Victoria Falls.

Faceofmalawi has established from a local publication New Zimbabwe that the now deceased Pardon Nyoni, who was doing Grade Five at Chimbombo Primary School drowned on Friday while swimming with his friends at Malayitha stream. Pardon is alleged to have suddenly drowned. His friends tried to save him but it was all in vain.

Following the incident, the other children did not report the drowning to the elders as they could not comprehend what had happened. The incident only came to light after a villager found his lifeless body floating under a small bridge.

“Some police went to the scene after getting a call from an informer. This was after a villager found the boy’s body floating on water. The boy was in Grade Five at a local school and had gone to swim with other children younger than him when he suddenly drowned. The other children could not save him and they left going back home seeing that the now deceased had disappeared in the water,” said a police source.

The tragic incident happened at a time when Victoria Falls has been hit by flash floods following heavy rains that fell over two days ago.

Hwange Rural District Councillor for Kachechete ward Givemeagain Moyo confirmed the tragic incident which claimed the life of a 10-year-old boy. He warned members of the community to be wary of water bodies especially now that the country is experiencing heavy rains.

“We went to retrieve the body of the 10-year-old boy from a stream in BH 25. The body was below a bridge on Malayitha Stream.

“The boy was staying with his grandmother in BH25 and we understand he was swimming in the stream despite it being dangerous because of the incessant rains that have been falling.

“I want to take this opportunity to warn members of the community to desist from playing in the water or crossing flooded streams as that is dangerous,” said Moyo.