Boy, 7, drowns
A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD boy drowned while swimming with friends in waters off the Nasese foreshore in Suva yesterday.
A man who was waiting for his wife to finish work desperately swam out to save him and managed to bring him to dry land.
However, attempts to resuscitate the child failed. Natevote Ravu of Wailekutu Lami, said he was waiting for his wife who was attending a training session at the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service when he heard cries for help.
“I was sitting in my car and looking at my phone when I heard one of them, probably the oldest in the group calling for help,” he said.
“When I asked him, he told me someone was drowning out at sea. But when I looked out to the sea, the wind was strong and the sea was rough, I only saw one boy on a bamboo raft.
“I didn’t know the boy that they said was drowning was a different one. I had not counted their numbers when I saw them swimming earlier. A few minutes later, two more boys came ashore and told me someone was drowning so I told them to run and get help from the police academy.
“I think that the little boy in the bilibili was panicking so he jumped into the water too. That’s when I gave all my belongings to two ladies who were standing at the sea wall and I swam out to him.”
Mr Ravu said when he reached the young boy, he was already floating so he quickly brought him back to shore and tried to resuscitate him. Police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro confirmed the seven-year-old boy had died. Meanwhile, at 8 o’clock last night, Ms Naisoro said all the children who were swimming with the deceased have been accounted for and are safe.