17-Year-Old Student Dies Inside Old Mining Pit in Koidu Bondo Bush
Deborah Sorie The Koidu City community is in mourning following the tragic drowning of 17-year-old Benjamin Ngegba on Sunday, June 9th, 2024.
A-Z Newspaper reports that Ngegba, a student at Municipal Secondary School, lost his life in an old mining pit located in the Bondo Bush area of Tankoro Chiefdom.
Reports indicate that the incident occurred around noontime. John Yambasu, a close friend of Ngegba’s, recounted the events leading up to the accident. Yambasu stated that Ngegba had asked him to accompany him to the pit to wash clothes. Along with Ngegba’s younger brother, the three friends went to the pit and finished their laundry without incident. However, after completing the task, Ngegba decided to swim across the waterbody.
Yambasu, who was talking to an elderly man nearby, was suddenly alerted by Ngegba’s younger brother that his brother had vanished underwater and hadn’t resurfaced. “I immediately jumped in to try and save him,” Yambasu explained, “but the current was too strong.” Despite his efforts, Yambasu was unable to locate his friend.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Yambasu and the younger brother rushed back to inform the Ngegba family.
Sahr Ngegba, the heart-broken father of the deceased, expressed his deep sorrow and shock over the loss of his eldest son. “The news of my son’s death is a devastating blow,” Ngegba said, fighting back tears. “He was a brilliant and respectful young man, and his absence leaves a void that will be incredibly difficult to fill. May his soul rest in peace, alongside the souls of all the faithful departed.”