In a heartbreaking turn of events, 23-year-old Orville Kimutai Tures, a Kenyan student residing in Australia, met with a fatal accident while swimming in Stockton Lake, located in the town of Shotts, Western Australia, this past Saturday.
Mr. Tures had been living in Perth since March and had decided to go for a swim on September 9th, around 3:15 p.m. Little did he know that this outing would lead to such a devastating incident.
Local authorities reported that there were onlookers present at the scene when the accident took place, but unfortunately, they were unable to assist him. It was only the following day that police divers were able to recover his lifeless body.
Currently, the Bunbury police are in possession of Mr. Tures’ body and are in the process of preparing a postmortem report. As a safety precaution, the lake and its surrounding camping areas have been temporarily closed until further notice.
The young man’s funeral is scheduled for September 30th in Kapteren, Elgeyo Marakwet, though the timing is contingent on the findings of the coroner’s report.
In an effort to bring Orville Kimutai Tures back to his hometown of Kapteren, Keiyo North, Elgeyo Marakwet County, his family has initiated a GoFundMe campaign to raise the necessary funds.
This tragic incident comes not long after another Kenyan student, Sharon Jepkosgei Kigen, lost her life in Australia. Ms. Kigen was a student at Catholic University-North Sydney and had only recently arrived in Australia in November 2022. She tragically passed away during a swimming excursion with friends at the beach. The incident prompted a swift response from both officers from The Traffic and Highway Patrol and members of the public, who tirelessly searched the water to bring her to the shoreline. Despite the efforts of NSW Ambulance paramedics performing Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), her life could not be saved.
Sadly, this incident is not isolated, as just last year, another Kenyan woman lost her life due to drowning, this time in Canada. Hellen Wendy met her untimely demise in a swimming pool while streaming her live swimming session on Facebook.
Our hearts go out to the families and friends of Orville Kimutai Tures, Sharon Jepkosgei Kigen, and Hellen Wendy, as we remember and honor their lives. May their souls rest in peace.
