- The duo were 18 years old and the third one was 14.
- The twins had just finished Form Four and were waiting to join college.
Image: SHABAN OMAR
A family in Kwale is still reeling in shock after losing two children who drowned on Monday evening while swimming at Gazi in Msambweni subcounty.
Kennedy Gichuri and Solomon Macharia had gone swimming with their relative when the tragedy happened.
The incident occurred amid the ban of gatherings in public beaches due to Covid-19.
The duo were 18 years old and the third one was 14.
The father, Samuel Gitundu Njuguna, said the boys were overwhelmed by the ocean currents when they tried to reach the shore.
"They were swimming in a place that was a little bit high but when they attempted to get back they got into the deep and couldn't make it," he said.
The 14-year-old was rescued by a local fisherman after hanging on a mangrove.
By the time he was saved he was unconscious and couldn't give information about the two teens on time.
The twins had just finished Form Four and were waiting to join college.
According to the father, Gichuri got C+ and Macharia C.
Their bodies were successfully retrieved on Tuesday morning after a three-hour search operation that began at 5am.
On Monday the search failed because of the darkness and tides were still high.
They were found on the same spot holding one another and taken to Kwale mortuary.
Kwale rescue officer Clara Mulwa said the two had tried to get over the other to rescue themselves before breathing their last.
Last year, two holidayers of Indian origin died while swimming at Galu beach in Diani.
A four-year-old boy lost his life after slipping in a swimming pool in a hotel in Ukunda during Christmas.
Mulwa warned the locals against swimming during high currents and advised visitors to walk the shores with experts who have knowledge of the sea.
The family has begun the burial preparations.