Kiira boat accident: Police recover body, two still missing

BY PHILIP WAFULA
A search team that worked through the night has retrieved the body of a woman believed to be part of the five whose boat was carried away by the river on Sunday evening.
The Kiira region Police Spokesman, Hajji Abbey Ngako, on Monday said “the body of a woman has been retrieved and the search is underway to find the other child and a lone boater.”
Asked to give a brief description of the woman and age, Mr Ngako said police are going to issue a detailed statement ‘soon’, but all efforts will be made to identify the victims.
The unfortunate incident occurred on Sunday at around 5pm when a family of four tourists (man, woman and two children) and a guide were heading to the Source of the Nile but their boat experienced engine failure and was pushed to the dam.
The guide jumped out of the boat and was rescued by a UPDF marine, while the four were washed through the spillways, including a lone boater who was trying to rescue the quartet.
However, the man, one child and the lone boater were later rescued and taken to Jinja Referral Hospital.
Meanwhile, Mr Emmanuel Njuki, the Corporate Affairs Manager at Eskom Uganda, has said the search team worked overnight and there is not so much that can be done during the night; but with more light today, there will be back-up and they are doing their best.