Dad in tears over drowned son, 2

Afather in Vunika, Labasa, is still coming to terms with the fact that his two-year-old son is dead. Taito Koli said the last time he saw his son, Mikaele Naduva, was on Monday morning. The father of two said his wife and son planned to attend a birthday party at Nakama Village in Labasa.

“I left for work at Courts Limited, wishing them well. I received the news from my relatives that my son was found floating in Nakama River in the afternoon,” Mr Koli said. He said Mikaele was with his aunt and grandmother in Nakama Village around midday before he suddenly disappeared. “Everyone was looking for him,” the 27-year-old said.

“It was until around 5pm at the river some shouted saying that they saw a dead body of a child. No one knows how my son got to the river.”

He said the post mortem examination was done on Wednesday and according to its findings, Mikaele died from drowning. “Today I buried my son at Vaturekuka in Labasa,” the teary-eyed father said.

“I never thought to see this day as a father. He was full of fun and joy, always looking forward to trying something new.”

Mikaele was the younger of two siblings. Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed the child was with his grandmother before he disappeared and was found by a teacher who saw the child floating in the Nakama River.

She said the national drowning death toll stands at 11 compared to 12 for the same period last year.