Tragedy in Kenya’s Wajir County as Father and Son Perish Attempting Goat Rescue from Well

Mogadishu (AX) — A father and his son faced a heartrending fate in Wajir County, Kenya, attempting to save their family’s goat from a treacherously narrow, air-starved well. This sorrowful event acts as a poignant reminder of the dangers hiding within the region’s exposed water sources, igniting urgent appeals for enhanced safety measures.

The grim scenario began when the family’s goat plummeted into a slender, deep well. In an act of heroic impulsivity, the young son descended to rescue the animal but was swiftly overcome by the scarce air supply. Witnessing his son’s peril, the father entered the well, only to meet the same suffocating end. Tragically, neither made it out alive, confirmed local official Abbas Alasow Mohamed in a conversation with BBC Somali Service.

Local divers, adept in the art of maneuvering tight spaces, dedicated almost three hours to retrieving the bodies. Described as scorchingly hot with meager ventilation, the well’s stagnant waters contributed to a suffocation hazard that gave little room for escape. Such open wells are a constant menace in this locale, especially tricky for anyone unfortunate enough to fall in.

Mourning enshrouds the Ogoraale community, who perceive this incident as a solemn warning of the perils linked to unprotected wells. Mohamed pointed out that while loss of human life in these wells is uncommon, livestock mishaps happen often; merely a week prior, 20 goats tumbled into a nearby well, highlighting the frequent threats these water sources impose.

“This calamity was avoidable,” lamented Mohamed. “With access to clean, motorized wells, reliance on these perilous, salty water sources would dwindle. We appeal to humanitarian organizations to aid us in supplying safer drinking water to avert similar future tragedies.”

Edited by: Ali Musa

alimusa@axadletimes.com

Axadle international–Monitoring

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