Drowning illustrationTwo teenage schoolgirls aged 15 and 13 drowned in Thingithu River in Tharaka West subcounty, Tharaka Nithi county, while attempting to retrieve a water jerrycan.
The deceased were Grade 9 and 7 pupils, police said
According to police, pupils from a school had gone to Thingithu River to fetch water under the supervision of their teacher on duty on Sunday evening.
During the exercise, a water jerrycan belonging to one of them accidentally fell into the river, witness told police.
She reportedly jumped into the river in an attempt to retrieve it but drowned.
Her friend, then entered the river in an attempt to rescue her, but she also drowned.
Police officers visited the scene and, with the assistance of members of the public, recovered the two bodies.
The bodies were photographed and moved to Marimanti Level 4 Hospital mortuary, where they are being preserved pending postmortem examinations.
Police have commenced investigations into the incident, officials said on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, a 20-year-old student drowned while swimming with fellow students in Chania River in Thika West, Kiambu county.
The deceased was identified as Kennedy Nyaga Rutere, a student at Cascade Institute.
The incident occurred at about 4pm, when Rutere and his fellow students went swimming.
Police said the swimming exercise initially proceeded normally before Rutere drowned. Efforts by his friends to rescue him were unsuccessful.
Police responded to the scene, where they joined members of the public and the Thika Town Fire Brigade in efforts to recover the body.
The body was retrieved from the river at about 5.45pm.
Crime Scene Investigation officers processed the scene before the body was removed and taken to General Kago mortuary.
Police said the body had no visible injuries and was preserved pending a postmortem examination.
The incidents left the parents of the victims devastated and are under probe, police said on Tuesday.
