Two children have drowned in a community pond at Kyawagoonya village in Lwengo Rural Sub-county, Lwengo District.
The twins, only identified as Wasswa and Kato, are believed to have drowned early in the morning while playing near the pond unsupervised.
According to eyewitness accounts, one of the boys fell into the water first, and the other died attempting to rescue his brother, a heroic but heartbreaking act that has left the community shaken.
Residents say the children were last seen around 8:00 AM, and efforts to trace them began when they failed to return home. Their disappearance quickly turned into despair after their lifeless bodies were discovered in the nearby pond.
Residents expressed deep grief and frustration, not only at the tragedy itself but also at what they described as the delayed response from police authorities.
“We tried calling the police as soon as we realized what had happened, but they took too long to arrive,” one local resident said. “In the end, we had to recover the bodies ourselves.”
Another community member added, “These were innocent children. If the police had come earlier, maybe one of them could have been saved. It’s painful.”
While there was widespread mourning, some villagers also pointed fingers at the parents of the twins for failing to monitor their children.
“This is a clear case of negligence. The parents were nowhere to be seen while these children were wandering near a dangerous water body,” “No child should lose their life like this.”
Others called for greater community awareness and responsibility to ensure the safety of all children, especially in areas with open water sources.
The incident has sparked a wave of criticism against the local police force, with residents accusing them of showing little urgency in responding to emergencies.
Despite repeated calls and pleas for assistance, police reportedly arrived at the scene hours after the incident — long after the children had been confirmed dead.
“When we got here, the mother of the twins had already collapsed in grief, and still there was no police presence,” residents said.
The bodies of the twins were eventually retrieved by the residents themselves, a move that has reignited calls for better emergency response systems in rural areas.
Local leaders have called for a thorough investigation into the matter and pledged to work with both law enforcement and parents to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The tragic loss of Wasswa and Kato serves as a painful reminder of the dangers that lurk around unprotected water sources and the devastating consequences of slow emergency response.