Boy, 6, Drowns in Karonga Dam After Morning Swim With Friends
Published on April 27, 2026 at 2:30 PM by Edgar Naitha
A six-year-old boy drowned Saturday morning while swimming with friends in a dam at James Village, Traditional Authority Kilupula, Karonga District.
The deceased has been identified as Stewart Mwaipopo.
According to reports, the incident happened around 11:00 hours on 25th April 2026 when the child ventured into deeper waters and failed to resurface.
Other children who were swimming with him raised the alarm and alerted a passerby.
The passerby retrieved Stewart’s body from the dam and rushed him to Kaporo Rural Hospital, where medical personnel pronounced him dead on arrival.
The matter was reported to Kaporo Police Post. Detectives visited the scene and opened an inquiry file.
A postmortem conducted by a medical officer at the facility confirmed the cause of death.
Karonga Police Public Relations Officer, Sub Inspector Rose Chipyola, said the postmortem established that “death was due to suffocation secondary to drowning. No foul play is suspected.”
She urged parents and guardians to take extra caution around water bodies. “We are advising parents and guardians to closely supervise children and warn them against swimming in dams and other water bodies without adult supervision,” Sub Inspector Chipyola said.
Police have since concluded initial inquiries but continue to sensitize communities on child safety near dams, especially during the rainy season.
