@robertomollo3
Fishermen on Mfangano Island were Monday searching for the body of a man who died after jumping into Lake Victoria from a water bus.
Samuel Otieno jumped and drowned in the lake near Sienga beach in Suba North on Sunday evening.
Witnesses said Otieno boarded the water bus from Mbita town to Mfangano Island at around 5pm.
After about 20 minutes, they saw Otieno walk towards the protective grill and thought he was going to take in the view from the water bus.
“He took out his mobile phone from the pocket and put it inside his shoes which he had also taken off from his foot. He immediately jumped into the water and drowned,” one witness said.
Mfangano North chief Bernard Oloo, who was among the passengers in the vessel, said the man climbed on top of the grill and jumped into the water.
“The ferry operator stopped the vessel after passengers raised the alarm. The man drowned after the vessel had a moved a few metres away from where he jumped,” Oloo said.
The administrator said the captain was forced to make an about-turn to see if he could be saved.
“The water bus sailed in the area for about 20 minutes as its operators tried locating the man,” he added.
Family members had been informed of the incident.