Woman drowns in Lake Victoria as two rescued by fishermen

Fishermen on Lake Victoria. [File, Standard]

A 40-year-old security guard drowned in Lake Victoria, while two others were rescued when a structure in which they had sheltered while guarding fish cages was blown off by strong winds on Saturday night.

Caroline Barnabas drowned near Alero beach in Mbita Sub-county. 

The strong wind was accompanied by heavy rainfall, which pounded the area. Ms Barnabas was unable to swim in the lake, leading to her death. 

Fishermen and local divers managed to retrieve her body a few hours later. 

The survivors held onto the floating pieces of the structure, which was destroyed by the wind, before they were rescued by fishermen. 

 Homa Bay County Beach Management Network Chairperson Edward Oremo urged security firms to make strong structures for accommodating their workers who are deployed in Lake Victoria. 

“We advise the security firms to make strong structures that cannot be destroyed easily by wind or waves. This will help in reducing this kind of an accident,” Oremo said. 

The body was removed to Mbita Sub-county Hospital Mortuary for postmortem.

The accident came after three fishermen were killed when a ship hit their boat near Remba Island in Lake Victoria.

Recently, a 49-year-old fisherman drowned while wading in Lake Victoria to save his boat that was being swept away by waves in Homa Bay. 

Witnesses said George Odhiambo had docked his boat at the lake shore. But a storm occurred, which cut the rope that was tied to an anchor that held it. 

After losing the anchorage, the boat was carried away by the water waves towards the deeper part of the lake. He followed the boat but got stuck in the water.