Lake Guinas drowning: Police still searching for teen’s body
Family desperate for answers
While it has not been proven, it is believed that Namibia's two lakes - Guinas and Otjikoto - are connected through an underground cave system.
Three weeks later, the Namibian Police are still searching for the body of a learner who drowned at Lake Guinas - while his family is desperate for answers.
O'Linn Nauyoma (16), a learner at Etosha Secondary School, reportedly drowned while on a school tour, making him the third person to drown in the natural lake. Oshana police regional commander, Commissioner Naftal Lungameni Sakaria, said they have increased their search efforts, but to no avail.
The police learnt of Nauyoma’s drowning while conducting an annual diving exercise at Lake Otjikoto - some 30 kilometres away - and were called to assist, he said. Nauyoma reportedly drowned on 8 September at around 15:00 while on a school trip for learners representative council (LRC) training, Sakaria said.
According to a police report, Nauyoma was swimming in the lake with a friend when he drowned.
“Lake Guinas is a mysterious lake with many tales, including beliefs that it has a bottomless pit and links up with other water sources. As of now, our records show about three people who have drowned in the lake and [their bodies] were never recovered,” Sakaria said.
‘Done all we could’
According to the regional commander, the police have conducted several dives in an effort to recover the teen’s body, “but the submerged topography is difficult, with the cave system yielding in from different angles, making it hard for bodies to surface”.
“Our hope is for the body to be found. We have done all the diving we could,” Sakaria added.
Lake Guinas is the biggest natural lake in Namibia with a depth of 130 metres and a surface area of 6 600 square metres. It has a width of 59 metres and a length of 120 metres. Located on the D3031 gravel road between Otavi and Tsumeb, the lake was formed many years ago after a karst cave collapsed and filled up with water. It is believed - but has not been proven - that the lake is connected to Lake Otjikoto through an underground cave system.
O'Linn Nauyoma (16), a learner at Etosha Secondary School, reportedly drowned while on a school tour, making him the third person to drown in the natural lake. Oshana police regional commander, Commissioner Naftal Lungameni Sakaria, said they have increased their search efforts, but to no avail.
The police learnt of Nauyoma’s drowning while conducting an annual diving exercise at Lake Otjikoto - some 30 kilometres away - and were called to assist, he said. Nauyoma reportedly drowned on 8 September at around 15:00 while on a school trip for learners representative council (LRC) training, Sakaria said.
According to a police report, Nauyoma was swimming in the lake with a friend when he drowned.
“Lake Guinas is a mysterious lake with many tales, including beliefs that it has a bottomless pit and links up with other water sources. As of now, our records show about three people who have drowned in the lake and [their bodies] were never recovered,” Sakaria said.
‘Done all we could’
According to the regional commander, the police have conducted several dives in an effort to recover the teen’s body, “but the submerged topography is difficult, with the cave system yielding in from different angles, making it hard for bodies to surface”.
“Our hope is for the body to be found. We have done all the diving we could,” Sakaria added.
Lake Guinas is the biggest natural lake in Namibia with a depth of 130 metres and a surface area of 6 600 square metres. It has a width of 59 metres and a length of 120 metres. Located on the D3031 gravel road between Otavi and Tsumeb, the lake was formed many years ago after a karst cave collapsed and filled up with water. It is believed - but has not been proven - that the lake is connected to Lake Otjikoto through an underground cave system.
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