Divers in Lamu have recovered the badly decomposed body of a lobster fisherman who went missing for three days.
The body of Mohamed Athman,19, was retrieved from inside a mangrove thicket close to the Mtangawanda beach in Lamu East subcounty by a team of divers from the Lamu Disaster Response Team, Kenya Coast Guard Services, Kenya Red Cross Society, Kenya Maritime Authority and local divers.
The father of two from Mbwajumwali village in Lamu East was among a group of eight divers who had gone hunting for sea food at the Manda-Bruno channel in Lamu island.
He was reported missing hours later by his colleagues after he failed to swim back.
All the seven other fishermen turned up but Athman did not, prompting them to alert the Kenya Maritime Authority office in Lamu.
A search was mounted by divers from the KMA, Red Cross, county government and locals.
Lamu county disaster management director Shee Kupi confirmed the decomposed body was found stuck in a thicket of mangroves at around 3.45pm on Wednesday.
They suspect he was overpowered by strong tides at the Manda-Bruno channel.
He was buried within minutes of his retrieval, in line with Islam, on the same beach where his body was found.
Lobsters can be found in waters from 10 feet and deeper. It’s advisable, however, for divers not to go plunge deeper than 30 feet.
Most lobster divers use a knotted rope while in the ocean to enable them get a sense of bearing.
“We found his body and it was in a very bad state as it was already decomposed. We buried him on the same beach because of the decomposition since it would have been impossible to transport him to the village,” Kupi said.
Kupi urged fishermen and sailors in Lamu to exercise extreme caution while at sea and keep off from dangerous channels like the Manda-Bruno.
Other renowned dangerous channels in the Lamu archipelago include Mlango wa Tanu in Mkokoni, Mlango wa Ali in Kiwayu, Mlango wa Bomani in Kiunga, Mkanda and Shella channels, and Mlango wa Kipungani.
They are labeled killer channels because of their location in the deepest parts of the ocean and are also characterised by rough tides and deadly waves.
Hundreds have lost their lives in those channels.
“The sea is normally rough in December going into January and so it’s better for all those plying here to be very careful,” he said.
There have been continued calls from locals and county leaders for the establishment of an emergency rescue centre to help save lives during marine accidents.
In February this year, the decomposing body of lobster fisherman Mbwana Badi from Kizingitini island in Lamu East was retrieved at Kwabuka beach in Faza island after he drowned at Rasini area.
Edited by Henry Makori
