1 More Drowns
Body of 3-year-old found floating in Wailoku creek
It was about 11am yesterday when neighbours heard the footsteps of bubbly three-year- old Anare Sikoa running past their home. What transpired next shocked the Masiwini family.
Anare’s body was found floating in the Savura Creek in Wailoku at around 12.30pm. Police were at the scene to recover the body
as Wailoku community members stood in shock and complete disbelief.
Anare is said to be the latest drowning victim. This is only two days after Fiji recorded its eighth drowning case this month alone.
Mereoni Masiwini said her son noticed Anare running out while she was cooking.
“A few minutes after my son told me about it. I thought it was crazy that he ran out of the house when it was raining,” she recalled.
“So I asked my son to follow him and see where he had gone. “A while later, we also saw his father running out of the house to look for Anare.”
She said everything seemed to happen in the blink of an eye and they were still in disbelief. “We reported to the Police officers at the Wailoku Police Post that he was missing and they joined the search too,” Ms Masiwini said.
“It was nearly a one-hour search and just when we neared the creek a group of three children, who were also helping us, yelled out to us that they found the body floating on the creek. “What we do not understand is how he ended up in the creek.
If he had slid down from the muddy grounds or if he wanted to go near the water and had fallen into the creek.”
Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed the incident as investigations continue.