In an effort to save a woman who had thrown herself into the river in an attempt to commit suicide, two individuals perished when their canoe capsized on the Kafue River yesterday night.
The four men’s canoe collided with a Bulangililo Bridge pillar as they attempted to approach the woman who had been stranded on a tree for around 19 hours.
Residents and the Kitwe District Commissioner helplessly watched as two of the guys were able to swim to land while the other two were swept away by the swift water of the river.
Due to the darkness and lack of a boat or floodlights to expand the search area, the search for the two guys turned out to be fruitless.
The incident, according to Kitwe District Commissioner LAWRENCE MWANZA, was regrettable because two lives were lost while attempting to save the woman.
The resident’s eventually saved the woman, who was said to be in her 30s, after about 23 hours, and she was then transferred to the hospital for treatment.
