Two primary school students drowned in an open road-side pit yesterday (Tuesday) evening at Bokaa Village, in Kgatleng district, about 30 kilometers outside Gaborone.
Mochudi police have described the open pit as a “death trap” because the area is not fenced. It was apparently dug out and left unfilled by road constructors.
Assistant Superintendent Kabelo Bome of Mochudi Police Station said today that they were “investigating an incident in which two primary students died by drowning at Bokaa on Tuesday.
He said although police investigations are still in initial stages, the two students, aged 7 and 13, were reported to have been swimming in the road-side pond when they drowned.
“We have not established how many students were swimming before the accident happened but we are aware that many students often swim in that pit, especially after school,” he said.
Bome said the police divers were called in to remove the deceased from the water and rushed them to the Deborah Retief Hospital in Mochudi were they were certified dead on arrival.
“The pit is a death trap because the area is not fenced and something needs to be done about it,” he said.
Bome appealed to parents to discourage their children from swimming in the pit because it is unguarded and dangerous.
