Three students from the University of Nairobi died after an attempt to take a group selfie during a boat ride turned tragic.
Budalang’i police boss Isaiah Mose confirmed the incident stating that the bodies of two students were recovered on the morning of Sunday, January 1.
Mose told the media that the boat capsized after one of the students attempted to take the photo from the edge of the already overloaded vessel.
"The boat had a capacity of three but they wanted to take a group photo so all seven got onto the boat. One of them stood while trying to take a selfie, making it unstable," he explained.
Mose revealed that the boat capsized on Saturday afternoon, a few metres from the shore. However, efforts to rescue the occupants were made futile.
"The rescue operation was halted due to bad weather and nightfall. Possibilities of survival were minimal," he reiterated.
Bodies of the two were recovered by the team from the Kenyan Coast guards while four other students who survived were rushed to hospital.
The whereabouts of one other student is yet to be established but the police boss noted that was little chance that he would be found alive.
Mose disclosed that the seven students were on an evangelistic mission in the area and wanted to take photos after attending the crusade a few metres from the shore.
The incident is the second boat-related incident that has claimed lives within a span of week.
On December 26, 2022, two family members died after the boat they were travelling in capsized in the Indian Ocean off the popular Jomo Kenyatta public beach.
The two were part of a 15-member family from Nairobi who were on holiday. One other kin was admitted at the Intensive Care Unit while 11 others were discharged after treatment.
