Police in Southern Province have confirmed the death of an American tourist who drowned during a rafting expedition on the Zambezi River near Victoria Falls.
Southern Province Commanding Officer Moono Namalongo said the victim, identified as Patrick Lawrence, 68, died after the raft he was navigating capsized at Rapid Number 7 last evening.
Mr Namalongo confirmed the death of 68-year-old Patrick Lawrence in a statement to the media in Livingstone this morning.
“We can confirm that Mr Lawrence, an American national, tragically drowned during a rafting activity on the Zambezi River.
Mr Namalongo said the American tourist died when the raft he was steering struck a strong wave and flipped over.
He said the accident happened around 22:30 hours and was reported by Mr Obey Hamuchemba, 47, Director at Nyami Nyami Rafting Company, who was overseeing the activity.
Investigations indicate that Mr Lawrence was leading a team of ten paddlers when the raft overturned.
Mr Namalongo however confirmed the safety of the other paddlers who were in the company of the now deceased.
The South Police Chief says the body of Mr Lawrence was later retrieved and rushed to Mukuni Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Meanwhile, A man from Kabwe’s Makululu Township in Central Province has died after being swept away by rainwater in an underground drainage while attempting to retrieve a phone that had fallen.
The incident occurred on November 12th, 2025, and the deceased has been identified as Cypriano Mumba.
Central Province Deputy Police Commanding Officer, Lemekani Chirwa, says the deceased met his fate while trying to recover a phone that had been dropped by a woman identified as Agness Mwale.
Chirwa explains that Mumba entered the drainage during heavy rainfall, but was swept away by a strong current through a manhole, carried about 400 meters underground, and later found trapped near the Civic Centre.
The deceased’s 67-year-old mother, Esther Mutalaba said that she only learned of her son’s death later in the day after he had left home in the morning for his usual car-washing work in town.
By Kucalo reporter
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