Two Cousins’ Soccer Dream End in River Tragedy
Two cousins’ dreams of becoming professional footballers, ended on Saturday after their bodies were found in a river in Sigatoka.
Police confirmed that Avishek Kumar, 20, Avish Adhar, 14, from Waiqaliqali in Sigatoka are believed to be the country’s latest drowning fatalities.
The two were bathing their horses in the Semo River when they disappeared, Police said.
A search was conducted throughout the night and the bodies were recovered before midnight on Saturday.
Their parents tearfully said their sons had dreams of playing football.
Fiji Sun established that the victims’ fathers are brothers. Avishek, a university student wanted to drop out of school and concentrate on his football career, said his mother, Vinita Kumar. “Last week my son told me he didn’t want to study anymore and wanted to focus on his soccer career,” Mrs Kumar said.
“I told him that he needed to study and I would support him in the sport.
“Last Friday, when he came back from Suva, he was happy as he met all his friends, He told them that this time he was not coming back. “On Saturday he didn’t even tell me that he was going to the river. He always told me where he went.” Mrs Kumar said they were devastated to have lost not one but two loved ones.
His father, Arvin, who heard after hearing the news, went to search for their bodies without success. Avish’s father, Amen described his son as someone who was liked in the community and was obedient.
“The last I spoke with my son was on Saturday morning before I went to work,” he said.
“I told him to fix our fence. He said Papa don’t worry I will do it. “These two cousins were very close to each other.
“They bought things for each other and always went out together. They had the same interest of wanting to become professional soccer players.
“They both represented their school teams as well as the Tuva Sanatan and Tuva Soccer Club.”
A post-mortem will be conducted to ascertain the cause of deaths. The drowning death toll stands at 24 compared to 28 for the same period last year.
Edited by Ranoba Baoa