Survivor narrates ordeal
There were loud cries for help on Lake Malawi on the afternoon of Easter Sunday from about 70 passengers as the boat they were travelling in capsized at Zunga in Rumphi District.
The 70 were packed in an unseaworthy but reliable vessel in the area with no life jackets. The boat was designed to carry between 30 and 40 passengers, but on that day, as it is on most days, it overloaded.
On the fateful day, the locally made Kayokha Boat was hired at a fee of K45 000 by members of the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia heading to Tchalo in Rumphi District after attending Easter prayers at Mlowe CCAP Church.
According to one of the church members, 67-year-old ResharMtonyaKondowe, who survived by floating on a 50 kilogramme bag of flour, the lake was experiencing strong Mwera winds.
He said in the morning, the church members partook in the Holy Communion to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The return trip back home to the final destination in Nkhata Bay North, he said, started slightly after 3pm albeit with a few stops at Tchalo along the way.
According to Kondowe, the boat also carried some business persons.
He recalled that 10 minutes after starting off, they experienced heavy winds and big waves, but they proceeded with their journey.
Recalled Kondowe: “But it turned out that we could not proceed as the wind was getting more strong and water was getting into the boat. The operator of the boat made a U-turn to take us offshore, but it was too late as the boat capsized right there and then.
“We panicked and everyone was crying for help. Most people who died on spot died due to the pushing and pulling that was happening at that moment. I saw a breastfeeding baby and its mother dying.”
He explained that he saw women and non-swimmers drowning, while others gathered courage and held on to the boat waiting for rescuers.
He said it was scary when he faced death.
“I don’t know what I would have done if it were not for the bag of flour,” said Kondowe over the phone.
Kondowe, who congregates at Tchalo CCAP, said villagers came to their rescue on canoes and managed to rescue some people while others swam offshore.
“It was too late for some, while others were rushed to Mlowe Heath Facility for treatment,” he said.
Kondowe added that police and other officials joined them in the evening.
To Kondowe, who has been travelling on this route countless times, the tragedy is the first one he has witnessed.
Kondowe and fellow faithfuls had travelled about 45 kilometres on the unseaworthy boat from Tchalo to Mlowe in Rumphi District as the only means of transport between the two areas.
“We are forced to use these boats where we are overcrowded because this is our only option,” he said.
In an interview, the Reverend Maxwell Mwamwagha of Mlowe CCAP said the accident was a big blow to the church.
He said: “It is sad that in the morning some of the people who have died helped in the Holy Communion and they left at 15:00 pm for their respective prayer houses after the prayers.”
According to Mwamwagha the church has lost some of its dedicated members.
He said it is the norm for people from other areas to attend Easter prayers at the mainland.
The boat belongs to 69-year-old Harrison Ngwira of Kabenu Village, Traditional Authority Mbwana in Nkhata Bay and operates between Rumphi and Nkhata Bay. n
