A 26-year-old woman, Chinsinsi Damaseka, from Nkhuyu village in Senior Chief Kayembe’s area in Dowa district, has met a tragic end after drowning in the Kang’ona river in Mponela.

According to Mponela Police Public Relations Officer Surgeant Macpatson Msadala says, Damaseka, who had mental health challenges, left her home on February 17, 2025, without informing her family. A search party was dispatched, but she was only found the following day, February 18, 2025, at around 08:00 hours, when villagers discovered her lifeless body floating in a well at the Kang’ona river.

The Kalipano Police Unit and a medical officer from Chizoloondo Health Centre visited the scene, and the cause of death was determined to be suffocation due to drowning.

The police in Mponela, Dowa district, are urging the public to exercise extra care and vigilance in looking after individuals with mental disabilities to prevent similar tragic incidents.