Two people feared dead after canoe capsizes on River Acwa

PADER-Two people are feared dead after a canoe they were traveling in capsized in Acwa River in Angagura sub-county, Pader district

The two missing persons are identified as Joseph Wafula, an Engineer and a Kenyan national who worked for SGS Company and Charles Komakech, 33, a resident of Kibega village in Kalawinya parish, Angagura sub-county.

Dickson Ojok, the councilor 5 Angagura sub-county says the incident happened around 1:00 pm-2:00 pm on Monday, November 25, 2019, within HHPI where Acwa Hydropower dam II power station is being constructed when the two missing persons were in a canoe with two other survivors

According to Peter Mwesigwa, GISO Angagura Sub County, the two survivors are Douglas Omona, a resident of Angagura and an employee of PACS, a company constructing a hydropower dam on River Acwa and Simon Onen, a resident of Angagura.

"I got information that Eng. Joseph Wafula went with other three people to take the water sample  of Acwa and its level in relation to building hydropower dam in Aswa River, but Komakech Charles got excited when he saw his colleague entering a  canoe and joined them", Mwesigwa noted

Mwesigwa said since yesterday, residents tried to look for the missing two persons, but only recovered pieces of  the broken canoe at the riverbank of Aswa near the campsite (construction of hydropower dam)

"We are in touch with regional police commander, Acwa River region to bring the divers and marine police to look for two missing persons", he said

Mwesigwa said police officers are on the ground with the  community trying to look for the two missing persons but the water is too fast

However, Douglas Omona, a survivor said the two missing persons  were  not putting on life  jackets

"Wafula and Komakech did not put on life jackets when we were entering the canoe. When we reached in the middle of the river where the speed of water  is fast and the  canoe was in the process of capsizing, they jumped on the other side of the canoe with fast-flowing water", Omona said

Omona said they only survived because of the life jackets as they could not swim due to fast-flowing water