The Antanety neighborhood is in mourning after a simple swim among friends claimed the lives of three young boys, trapped by rising waters in an earth extraction pit. The tragedy occurred in the commune of Bemasoandro Itaosy, highlighting the danger of abandoned and flooded excavations.

The horror was discovered in two days

The tragedy began last Wednesday. According to the gendarmerie report, two children, aged 9 and 10 , were found drowned in an irrigation basin in the Antanety neighborhood. A third body, that of a boy from Ampasika, was discovered the following day, Thursday, in the same area.

Initial medical findings confirmed that drowning was the cause of death, with no external injuries. The investigation was assigned to the Bemasoandro police station after the administrative authorities were informed.

A fatal game

Ms. Robertine Rakotoarilala, president of the Antanety Fokontany and aunt of one of the victims, 9-year-old Ismaël, provided poignant details about the circumstances. The three victims were part of a group of five boys who were playing together that afternoon. Three of them drowned, while the other two, in shock, ran away.

1. The first body was recovered around 3 p.m.
2. Ismaël's body was found around 7 p.m.
3. The third child was discovered the following day.

The search was conducted by the families themselves, assisted by a police officer, before the arrival of the authorities. Clothing found at the water's edge even allowed for the identification of one of the missing persons before the grim discovery.

A deadly trap after the rains

The pit where the children were swimming is an old quarry used for extracting clay for brickmaking. In recent weeks, successive rains have caused the water level to rise unusually high, transforming the place into a deep and deadly trap.

Although the location is far from any houses, near the Makis stadium in Andohatapenaka, testimonies from a couple of nearby rice paddy guards reveal that children regularly go there to play in the water, despite repeated warnings. The guards usually try to dissuade them, but the lure of swimming often wins out.

That Wednesday, the victims had not gone to school, a behavior which, according to their relatives, could indicate a habit of meeting at this isolated spot. The community mourns today these three young lives tragically lost.