Bamenda: Two children tragically drowned in the Mbatu Dam after a swimming outing turned disastrous. According to Cameroon News Agency, reports from Awing Quarter, about 30 students visited the 15-meter dam on Saturday at around 2 pm after school. While most of the students exited the water after a few minutes, two girls, Shimita and Kiara, stayed behind. Witnesses recount that Shimita's twin sister noticed her struggling and attempted to rescue her with a bamboo stick, but the attempt was unsuccessful. The other students quickly informed the community, which tried, but failed, to save the two girls. The army rescue team was summoned to the scene, but divers could not locate the children. Even a second attempt made early Sunday morning failed to yield results. Later that afternoon, members of the Mbatu community conducted a comprehensive search and eventually recovered the bodies. Witnesses reported that one of the victims was foaming, and both were bleeding from the nostrils and ears. The incident has left the families and the entire community in shock. The army rescue team recommended that the bodies be taken to the morgue for autopsy. However, the relatives of the victims and the Mbatu quarter head insisted on a traditional burial by the dam, warning that taking the bodies to the morgue could bring misfortune to the community.
