West Region: Teenager drowns in attempt to swim for mango harvest

An Anglophone student, Ismael Tefon, aged 18, has reportedly lost his life in Kekem, in the West Region as he and his friends attempted to swim across a river to pick mangoes at the other side of the river.

According to corroborating sources, the student of the Government Bilingual High School Kekem had gone out on adventure with some of his friends on Thursday, May 27, 2021.

The friends decided to go pick mangoes precisely at a place called Kombè. The mango tree targeted by the group was across a river. Ismaël’s friends suggested they swim across the river to go harvest the fruits. Ismaël, however, admitted to not being a good swimmer. He was however convinced by his friends to get into the stream, by telling him they will rescue him if he began drowning.

Things, however, did not go as planned as his friends. All Ismaël’s friends managed to swim across but the latter couldn’t. Despite several efforts made in an attempt to rescue Ismaël, they were not successful.

The heartbroken father of the deceased was inconsolable and utterly furious towards Ismaël’s friends whom he say lured his son into the water. He adds that despite warning Ismaël to part company with those friends of his, he never adhered to his advice.