Madagascar: Two cousins drown in Mantasoa

Pharlin Nomena Ny Anjara Sahaza, 13 years old, and Kaloina Miraina Rakotoarimanana, 8 years old, cousins, drowned in Lake Mantasoa on Easter Monday.

Easter Monday was a painful day for an entire family. Pharlin Nomena Ny Anjara Sahaza, 13, and her cousin Kaloina Miraina Rakotoarimanana, 8, drowned in Lake Mantasoa. Each of them was the only child of their parents. Their mothers are sisters.

Their grieving families kept their lifeless bodies at their grandmother’s house in Sambaina Manjakandriana. The burial will take place today. They will be buried in two separate tombs.

The day before yesterday, they came with their family and settled by the shore of Lake Mantasoa, in a part where there were fewer picnickers. Their parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, all had a meeting followed by a celebration. They finished the exchange and had lunch. After the meal, they cleared the plates and collected money for the elderly, according to accounts from a colleague. The adults were still busy talking when five of their children started playing and putting their feet in the water.

Swallowed

Suddenly, one of the children shouted upon seeing his cousin sinking in a deep part. The other cousin hurried to save her, but she too was on the verge of sinking. Their cousin also nearly got swallowed while trying to rescue them. He was pulled out of the water by his family. Sahaza and Kaloina never resurfaced.

The mother of the younger girl screamed and waved her hands to alert the crowd on the other side of the lake. But due to the distance between them, no one heard her. Some just noticed and guessed that she seemed to need help. They joined her after a few minutes to ask her what had happened.

“It’s a bit surprising that no one in the family knows how to swim. Yet, there were about fifty individuals,” lamented an eyewitness.

Local divers intervened almost an hour after the alert. They quickly found the victims. These children were taken to the hospital. The medical team attempted resuscitation, but it was already too late. They did not survive.

Hajatiana Léonard