A 12‑year‑old girl of Kimale area in Solwezi District has drowned in the Kifubwa River after going to play with her friends.
Northwestern Province Police Commanding Officer Brighton Siwale confirmed the incident to the media and identified the deceased as 12‑year‑old Eneless Kaunda.
Mr Siwale disclosed that the incident occurred on 10th October 2026 around 16:40 hours at Kifubwa river in Kimale area of Solwezi District.
“Reported on 10th October 2026 at 18:35 hours by Alex Kaunda aged 40 of Kimale area also an employee at Kansanshi mining plc that his biological daughter Eneless Kaunda aged 12 drowned in Kifubwa river,” he said.
Mr Siwale said the brief facts of the incident are that the victim went to play at the Kifubwa river around 16:30 hours with her friend, Abigail Mwewa, aged 12, who is also a pupil at the same school.
He added that while there, Abigail began swimming alongside her friend, but a few minutes later she realised Eneless was nowhere to be seen but her clothes and slippers were beside the river looking around, her friend was nowhere to be seen.
He said Abigail then began crying for help, but all was in vain, she later rushed home to inform her parents, who in turn reported the matter to the police.
Mr Siwale said police visited the scene with divers from the Solwezi Municipal Council, conducted a joint search, but could not find the body.
He said the search continued until 12 October 2026, and at around 15:00 hours Eneless’s body was retrieved from the same river, about 50 metres from the point where she was last seen.
Mr Siwale said the police inspected the body of the deceased and observed some parts of her face like lips, both eyes and ears, had been eaten by suspected fish while the rest of her body was intact with no injuries observed.
The body was picked and deposited into the Solwezi Hospital Mortuary awaiting burial as no foul play was suspected by both the police and the family.
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