KISORO – Two people drowned when a dugout canoe they were sailing in on Lake Mutanda capsized at around 7 pm on Saturday.
The police spokesman for Kigezi region, Mr Elly Maate, identified the deceased as Pafura Musuhukye, 57, and Janet Ntakirutimana, 18, both residents of Gisororo Parish in Nyakabande Sub-county.
Mr Maate said the canoe capsized because of a lot of water waves and wind. They drowned as they approached Kaboko Landing Site.
One of the canoe occupants survived after swimming to the offshore.
“The two died in the water but the third one managed to swim and come out,” Mr Maate said.
Their bodies immediately came on the surface and were taken to Kisoro Hospital for postmortem. Mr Maate advised people in the area to always use life jackets every time they are crossing the lake.
The lake is located in Kisoro District in southwestern Uganda, approximately 20 kilometres north of the town of Kisoro, where the district headquarters are located. This location is approximately 454 kilometres (282 mi), by road, southwest of Kampala.
According to witnesses and area leaders, many cases of drowning are common on the lake since many people cross without any life jackets.
