A swimming outing turned into a tragedy at the tourist village of Mahajanga. A 17-year-old teenager drowned on Saturday afternoon after diving into the sea. Three young boys had jumped into the water to cool off, as the city has been experiencing intense heat for several weeks. The other two were luckier, as they did not venture far from the shore and quickly returned to land.
The victim, however, disappeared under the water around 2:00 PM and never resurfaced. Search efforts remained futile for several hours. His body was finally discovered around 8:30 PM at the mouth of Antsahabingo.
“We could not reach the authorities in time to save our son. We had to ask for help from a private individual,” a relative of the victim testified.
However, swimming is strictly prohibited at the tourist village, and signs indicating this ban are already installed on the beach. Despite these measures, young people continue to defy the rules and dive into the water near the marina.
The sweltering heat hitting Mahajanga drives them to seek relief in the sea. In recent days, temperatures have reached 36°C according to weather forecasts, with a heat index potentially rising to 39°C. The weekend of the tragedy was no exception. Dozens of young people gather there to swim and jump from the bridge throughout the day, especially on weekends.
While drowning cases had decreased recently in Mahajanga, this new tragedy has revived concerns among residents. The lack of lifeguards at this site, as in other seaside resorts in Mahajanga, constitutes a major security problem.
Faced with this situation, municipal officials are being called upon to take rapid measures and deploy agents to enforce the swimming ban in this area. The goal is to prevent another fatal accident. The presence of a lifeguard would indeed help secure swimmers, prevent drowning risks, and intervene quickly in case of an incident.
Captured & Published at: 2026-10-29 05:54:25 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/10/mahajanga-un-adolescent-meurt-noye.html