Four children drown in ditch along Apac-Lira road

Four children have drowned in a ditch dug for culverts on the 101km Apac-Lira road currently under construction.

The victims; Patrick Akena, 14 and Desmond Odoc, 8, who are members of the same family; Amos Ekwang, 12 and Ambrose Mukula, 7, lost their lives on Friday evening after faling into the six feet deep ditch.

The victims who were all residents of Abuli Village, Atana Parish, Apac Sub-county in Apac District, were reportedly grazing cattle when the incident occurred.

Fate befell the victims when they saw a pool of water in the ditch which is estimated to be three metres wide; they removed their clothes and jumped into the ditch in an attempt to enjoy swimming in the stagnant water. Sadly, they all got stuck in the mud, according to local authorities.

This publication established that detectives from Apac Central Police Station went to the scene and picked the bodies that were taken to Apac hospital morgue for postmortem.

Mr Moses Okech, Abuli Village LCI secretary for defense, said that the ditch dug on the road is too deep and was left open, thus endangering the lives of other people.

“The ditch had been sealed off with red tape but some wrong elements removed it. So, it is open and this is risky to both people and animals,” he said.

Mr Augustine Okello, the Apac District senior health educator, who was also at the scene on Friday, urged parents to always take good care of their children during holidays.

“Parents should be very tough on their children and make sure they don’t play in a pool of water because it can lead to drowning or they can contract water borne diseases and other skin diseases,” he said.

North Kyoga regional police spokesperson, Mr Patrick Jimmy Okema, confirmed the incident. He said police have commenced investigations into the matter.

“I have received that report but I still don’t have details about it,” he said.