Man dies in Lake Malawi storm

At least eight fishermen in Nkhata Bay are reportedly missing in Lake Malawi and one has been found dead following a storm caused by the Mwera winds on Sunday, police have said.

Nkhata Bay Police spokesperson Martin Bwanali identified the dead person as Philip Chirwa, 45, from Thowolo Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mankhambira in the district.

Bwanali said post-mortem shows that Chirwa died of suffocation while in the water after his boat capsized due to the winds.

“The storm started because of Mwera winds which affected parts of the lake at Sanga, Kande and Kapeska.

“While Chirwa’s body has been found, eight others are feared dead. We have only found eight canoes at Sanga whose owners are missing. But there could be more people missing,” he said.

Bwanali said they have instituted a rescue team, using a patrol boat, to search for the missing individuals.

“We are also appealing to the general public to report any suspicious material along the shores because this might give us a clue about the whereabouts of the missing individuals,” he said.

T/A Mankhambira said in an interview that villagers have found two individuals ? one dead, the other alive—but he failed to identify them.

He said about six people in his area were still missing.

“The dead person is from Mlore while the other is from Kasingo. But both of them were found at Sanga,” the chief said.