Five people were killed when a trip to console a colleague whose father had died ended in tragedy after their boat capsized in Lake Victoria, Kenya, at the weekend. The bodies of two are still missing.

All Africa reports that the five had worked at St Francis Hospital in Kasarani, Nairobi.

Control of the boat was reportedly lost when one of the women attempted to take a selfie, with coxswain George Onyango saying, “She created an imbalance and caused the vessel to capsize when she stood to capture the moments.”

Meanwhile, Arongo Beach Management Unit chair, Meshack Owira, asserted that the canoe was overloaded. He said that the vessel was carrying eight people, including two navigation crew. Owira added, “Being a weekend, most of the officials were not at the lake. The visitors boarded the vessel without safety jackets.”

Three of the people on board, including a 14-year-old boy, were rescued by fishermen.

Kisumu County Commander Samuel Anampiu said the search for the missing was called off on Saturday, due to darkness and heavy rains. Hundreds of locals, however, alongside the Arongo BMU management and the local administration, joined by officials from the Kenya Maritime Authority, continued with the search on Sunday morning, unsuccessfully.

Umm Muhammed Umar