Asinate, 13, Drowns In River

A grandmother’s anticipation to see her teenaged granddaughter attend high school next year was dashed on Saturday afternoon when she became the latest drowning victim this year.

Salote Bolawai, 64, had asked Asinate Vakaloloma to help her prepare dinner before she left to go swimming with her friends.

Ms Vakaloloma, 13, was a Year Eight student at Saint John Bosco Primary School.

The drowning incident happened at the Naibulivatu River along Laqere Settlement.

Mrs Bolawai, who was at their home at the time of the incident, said yesterday, that it was around three o’clock on Saturday afternoon when the incident happened.

“She was playing with the neighbours and came home to rest for a while; so I asked her to help me prepare dinner,” Mrs Bolawai said.

“She was just relaxing at home that afternoon until she stepped out and followed the children around the settlement to go to the swimming spot.

“Around 3.30pm, one of the girls who accompanied my granddaughter returned and asked me if Asinate had returned while showing the hair tie that belonged to Asinate.

“I started getting worried when another kid came home returning Asinate’s shoes, this time I started looking for her.”

Mrs Bolawai said her granddaughter did not swim in the river; she was soaking her feet while sitting on the rocks by the river.

“She had big plans to start secondary school next year which was her motivation to study hard,” Mrs Bolawai said.

A search was conducted by family and friends and her body was retrieved.

She was conveyed to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva where she was pronounced dead.

Ms Vakaloloma is the younger of two siblings who had been living with her grandparents since her parents’ separation.

A post mortem examination will be conducted to ascertain the cause of death.

The drowning toll currently stands at 22 compared to 23 for the same period last year.

Edited by Karalaini Waqanidrola

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