Three bodies have been recovered out of the six people who went missing after a canoe they were sailing in capsized when it was struck by a hippo at Chingondo, in the area of Traditional Authority Ng’abu in Nsanje on Thursday.
Patrick Sipuni, an official from the District Council, said that the search for the remaining individuals is ongoing.
Nsanje District Council Chairperson, Mike Kafalachi, said the canoe had 11 people on board, who were returning from Malekeza, an area where people often go to engage in farming activities.
Kafalachi said the accident occurred on Thursday around 2 p.m and only five people were rescued.
Nsanje Police Station Public Relations Officer, Agnes Zalakoma, identified the three recovered bodies as those of Yanjanani Stanford,30, Dofiya John, 45, both from Mkuziwaduka Village and Isaac Faela, a 30-year-old canoe operator from Sekeni Village, all within Traditional Authority Ng’abu in the district.
By Robert Nayeja, MANA