Zambia: A drowning accident in the Petauke District has claimed the life of a 36-year-old man from Petauke District. The man drowned while he was out fishing in the Chandema Dam. The drowning incident has left the community in a sense of grief and shock.
The members of the community have shared that it is important for the people to exercise caution while finishing as drowning incidents are becoming common.
The incident happened on Thursday, and was reported to the police on the same day. The victim had dived into the water in order to cast a net.
The officials have shared that the river water bad a muddy side and he was stuck in that area of the river in his effort to cast a net. This caused him to drown in the river.
Eastern Province Police Commanding Officer Robertson Mweemba has shared the facts of the incident with the media in Chipata. According to officer Mweemba the incident was reported by the deceased’s elder brother, Solomon Lungu.
The victim’s 61 year old brother is a resident of Chandema Village and made the police report on April 24th at 08:00 hours.
The deceases victim has been identified as Edward Lungu. He went fishing on April 24, 2025, in the company of his 38 year old friend, Island Lungu who is also a resident of Chandema Village.
Officer Mweemba explained that upon arriving at the dam, Edward dived into the water. He had wanted to cast a fishing net but unfortunately reached a deep and muddy section and drowned.
Commanding officer Mweemba said that after Edward drowned, his friend immediately rushed back to the village to alert others. Afterwards, villagers responded quickly and managed to retrieve the body from the dam.
Police officers conducted an inspection of the body on the scene of crime immediately after receiving the report. The officials have confirmed that the investigation of the body showed no signs of physical injury.
The body of the deceased is currently being held in the Petauke General Hospital Mortuary, awaiting burial.