Fisherman dies in freak canoe accident
A 42-year-old fisherman man has died following a freak canoe accident in Ikoga village in the Okavango region last week Friday.
Gumare police station commander, Dennis Zilawe confirmed that the accident occurred in the early morning hours of Friday when the man and his younger colleague, aged 38, went fishing in the Okavango River.
Zilawe said that according to the younger man who survived to tell the story, the two men went into the river the previous day to set the fishing net.
At around 5:00 the next morning, they paddled their canoe towards their catch. The older man is said to have sat in the canoe while the younger one paddled with the rowing stick.
The younger man was on his feet as he paddled and says he then lost balance and fell into the water.
The man further told the police that he managed to swim to the shore and when he looked back he realised that his friend could have drowned as he was nowhere to be seen and he therefore rushed to the village to raise alarm and seek help.
The police, including scuba divers searched the river bank and inside the deep waters for two days and only found a canoe at the bottom of the river.
“The body was found on the third day, trapped at the bottom of the river and it was taken to the hospital where it was certified dead,” added Zilawe.
