Two girls have drowned in a swimming pool at an apartment complex in Nyali on Wednesday, just hours after arriving in Mombasa for a family holiday.
The victims, identified as Aisha Mohammed (13) and Hamdi Mohammed (8), were among 10 children who had travelled to the coastal city with their parents early the same morning.
Mombasa police boss Peter Kimani said they arrived around 4am and checked into Assia Apartments, which is located along Mt Kenya Road.
According to police reports, tragedy struck shortly after midday when the children’s father left the apartment with three of his children to buy lunch, leaving the rest under the care of their mother.
“It was during this time that the two girls decided to go swimming in the apartment pool, where they unfortunately drowned,” Mr Kimani said.
The father is said to have received a distress call from his wife informing him of the incident while he was still at a nearby hotel. He rushed back only to find the girls had already been taken to Gertrude’s Hospital in Mombasa where they were pronounced dead on arrival.
Nyali Sub-County Police Commander Moses Kirong and other senior police officers visited the scene. Officers from the County Government’s Safety Department and the Mombasa Crime Scene Investigation Unit were also called in to assess the facility’s safety compliance.
Police have urged residents and visitors to exercise extreme caution when children are near water, warning that such tragedies can be avoided through closer supervision.
“This is a very unfortunate incident, especially because it happened within hours of the family’s arrival. We urge parents to ensure that swimming facilities are used under strict supervision,” Mr Kimani said.
