Mogadishu (AX) — In a heart-wrenching incident, a Somali mother and her four-year-old daughter tragically lost their lives after drowning in the Loing River in northern France this past Monday, according to local sources. The heartbreaking event took place in Nemours, a town situated in the Seine-et-Marne region. The young girl had tumbled into the river by accident, and her mother met a tragic fate while trying to rescue her.
The authorities were alerted by nearby residents who had been stirred by the mother’s frantic cries for help. Upon arrival, police discovered the lifeless bodies of both the mother and the daughter, with no immediate aid available during the critical moments of the accident.
“The family had only recently settled in our town,” Nemours’ mayor, Valérie Lacroute, revealed, underlining the family’s recent arrival. This sorrowful event underscores the perilous nature of the river that meanders through Nemours.
France hosts a Somali community of about 3,000 to 5,000 individuals, many of whom have made their way either from other parts of Europe or via unconventional migration paths. Within a national population nearly reaching 67 million, France has an estimated six million Muslims, representing approximately 9% of the population, based on a 2017 survey.
Islam stands as France’s second most practiced religion. The largest portion of the Muslim community comes from former French territories in North and West Africa such as Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. In recent times, there has been a noticeable rise in Muslim immigrants arriving from the Middle East as well.
