• Motorbike also not recovered.
• Body of unidentified man found in the river.
Two pupils and a bodaboda rider on Friday drowned in Nyamarambe, South Mugirango in Kisii as they crossed a flooded bridge on their way home.
Only two bodies, that of the rider Daniel Ombasa and one pupil, Boas Ogata, 8,— a pupil at Springs Academy —had been retrieved by afternoon.
Villagers and search parties recovered the bodies metres away from the bridge connecting Nyakembene and Gesonso shopping centres across the swollen River Kuja.
"The bridge's low lying nature makes it susceptible to flooding during heavy rains," deputy county commissioner Edong Nanok said.
Efforts to get the third body of Ibrahim Ochoi, 8, went on with the villagers extending the search downstream to Kitele.
During the search, one body of a man aged 30 was also retrieved.
Nanok said the pupils were returning home from school when raging waters washed off the motorbike they were riding on.
“It was raining heavily and they had first sheltered before setting off for home when the incident occurred. It appears the motorbike was overpowered before they were swept off to their death, it is unfortunate,” Nanok told journalists at the scene.
The motorbike had also not been recovered.
Nanok said the search efforts will go on daily until all the bodies are recovered and given to the affected families for burial.
“Families have lost so tender lives who were in school. We send our condolences,” the DCC said.
MCA Joseph Chweya, who joined the search teams, urged the national government to construct a better bridge to stem similar incidents in the future.
Separately, police in Nyamarambe impounded more than 3,000 stones of bhang and seized one suspect.
Other suspects escaped and are being sought, Nanok told journalists.
Three motorbikes used to transport the bhang were also impounded during the arrests, he said.
“We are still on their trails and once we get them they will be arraigned in court."
Nanok said they suspect the haul was being transported from Kuria and was possibly headed to Nairobi or Mombasa.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)