Rescuers retrieve body of varsity student from waterfall
Onlookers watch as divers search for a Bomet University student who drowned at Chebaara falls in Chepalungu Constituency on November 1, 2021.
Divers have retrieved the body of a Bomet University student who drowned at Chebaraa Falls in Chepalungu after a three-day search.
It took a total of 11 divers from the Bomet County Government and Kenya Red Cross to find the body of Tyrus Mutalii, a 24-year-old second year student.
He reportedly slipped and fell into the raging waters while taking selfies with friends at around 5pm on Sunday evening.
“It took a lot of effort to trace and retrieve the body from the water due to the depth and high volumes during a rainy season,” said Mr Stanley Mutai, a senior disaster management officer in Bomet County.
He said the rescue team had to divert the water from Nyangores river so as to reduce the volume going through the falls and enable divers to locate the body that was trapped between rocks and debris.
Divers search for a Bomet University student who drowned at Chebaara falls in Chepalungu Constituency on November 1, 2021.
Hundreds of students wailed as the body was retrieved from the river bed. It was quickly wrapped in a blanket and loaded into a police van before being taken away from the scene.
“The body has been moved to Longisa County rReferral Hospital Mortuary for preservation,” said Mr Nelson Masai, the Chepalungu sub-county police commander.
The student is said to have been on a tour of the falls along with eight of his college mates.
"He slipped from the highest point of the falls as he sought to get a good photo shot of himself...his college mates saw him free fall backwards into the water," said a witness.
Distraught Bomet University have been camping at the site following the incident.
The university administration was yet to issue a statement by press time.
Chebaraa Falls attracts hundreds of local tourists in the region especially on weekends.
