A grandmother and her two-day-old granddaughter drowned on Thursday evening when the vehicle they were travelling in rolled off a ferry and plunged into the River Nile at the Omi landing site in Adjumani District.
Zakia Masudo and the newborn were inside a Toyota vehicle, registration number UND 692P, which slid into the water just moments before the ferry was due to make its final crossing of the day.
Witnesses say the driver had left the car parked at the front of the vessel and stepped away briefly to buy a bottle of water from a nearby stall.
The baby’s mother, Angaika Leila, who works as a housemaid in Adjumani, had pleaded with her mother to let her carry the infant with her off the vehicle. But Masudo insisted on staying inside the car with the baby, citing the cold.
Ferry staff and local residents launched an urgent rescue effort as the vehicle slipped off the edge. It took nearly two hours for workers from the Ministry of Works and Transport, assisted by the community, to retrieve the submerged car.
The bodies of Masudo and the infant were found lifeless inside the waterlogged vehicle.
Allan Ssempebwa, the Communications Officer at the Ministry of Works, confirmed the incident and expressed condolences, saying investigations were underway.
“It is true the two bodies were retrieved after the intervention of our staff at the landing site. Investigations into the matter have kicked off, and we shall make a press statement,” he said.
According to procedures, passengers on the Laropi Ferry are usually advised to disembark and register before boarding. However, local reports suggest that this guideline is frequently ignored by some travellers.
The Ministry of Works and Transport operates both the Laropi and Obongi ferries to connect communities across the Nile in the Ma'di sub-region.
Such accidents are uncommon, though Thursday’s tragedy has raised fresh questions about enforcement of safety measures at the busy landing sites.