Three people were confirmed dead after a boat they were traveling in capsized in Watamu, Kilifi County.
According to preliminary reports, the boat was hit by strong storms along the Indian Ocean on Saturday, January 21, before it capsized.
Three people drowned while trying to swim to the Indian Ocean shore. By the time of this publication, only two bodies had been retrieved.
"The boat had almost 15 Italian and more than 10 Kenyan nationals," one of the eyewitnesses told the press.
"We are saddened by the accident which occurred here today. The snorkeling boat capsized," another eyewitness added.
Kenya Marine officers rushed to the accident scene to rescue the foreigners and retrieve the third body. The survivors sustained minor injuries and were treated and discharged.
"We treated some tourists. They were in shock and reported only slight bruises," a hotel manager in Watamu stated.
According to one of the survivors, the ocean was calm and did not show any signs of a looming storm.
"I saw four or five boats in the distance soon after big turbulence. One capsized and the others were trying to get their occupants he ended up in the sea," one of the survivors narrated.
Watamu residents blamed the government for their slow response. They lamented that the three would have been saved had rescue officers arrived on time.
They appealed to President William Ruto's administration to set up safety measures to protect visitors in order to promote tourism in the Coastal region.
On December 26, 2022, the government banned swimming and other activities at the beach past 5:30 pm in an effort to enhance safety at the beach. Mining Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya, at the time, also announced a crackdown on unseaworthy boats.
The directive came after 11 family members were involved in a boat accident at Pirates Beach in Mombasa that left two dead.
