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What was meant to be a fun boat ride in Lake Victoria for seven University of Nairobi students turned tragic after the boat they were travelling in capsized, leaving three of them dead.
Four others were rescued by good Samaritans who responded to the scene of the Saturday evening accident.
The tragedy happened at Mulokoba Waterfront in Budalangi, Busia county on Saturday evening with officers from the Kenya Coastguard called to help in retrieving the bodies.
According to Budalangi police boss, Isaiah Mose, the seven students overloaded the boat which could only carry three passengers.
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Tragedy struck about 50 meters from the shore when the boat capsized as the students were taking selfies in turns.
“After completing their mission, they went to the Lake Victoria waters to take photos. In the process, one of them attempted to take a selfie while standing on the boat, making it unstable. That is how the boat capsized.
“The students were taking photos in shifts. Notably, the boat could only accommodate three passengers at a time, but since they wanted to take a group photo they overloaded it. The incident happened about 50 meters offshore,” Mose said.
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Budalangi on the shores of Lake Victoria
Rescue efforts were halted on Saturday night due to bad weather and darkness with a multi-agency team resuming the search on Sunday.
“Efforts to recover the bodies were halted due to bad weather and darkness, but a multi-agency team with the help of the Kenya coast guards will resume the search today. Possibilities of survival are minimal,” Mose said on Sunday.
Reports indicate that the three whose bodies are yet to be retrieved are in year 6, 3, and first year.