The tragic incident involving the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church choir on Lake Bangweulu in Zambia has left the nation in mourning. In a statement by the Minister of Information and Media and Chief Government Spokesperson, Hon. Chushi Kasanda, MP, the government expressed its deep shock and sadness at the loss of so many lives in a single tragedy.
“The pain of losing so many lives of young people in a single tragedy of this magnitude is unbearable,” said Hon. Chushi Kasanda. “Our hearts go out to the families of the missing and presumed dead. We share in their pain and grief.”
The President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, has directed the Vice President to provide the necessary transport and logistical support to the search and rescue team. The Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) in the Office of the Vice President has taken charge of the search and rescue operation.
“The government is doing everything possible to assist in the search and rescue operation,” said Hon. Chushi Kasanda. “We have deployed marines to comb the lake for any survivors and retrieve the missing bodies.”
The government has promised to provide coffins, food, and other logistical support to the funeral houses to ease the burden on the church and the bereaved families. The DMMU is also working with the Provincial Administration to ensure that survivors of the accident who may require evacuation or treatment are assisted accordingly.
“Government remains prayerful and hopeful that the ongoing operation to search for the bodies of the drowned youths and possible survivors will be concluded soon and successfully,” said Hon. Chushi Kasanda. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased and the SDA Church.”
The President of Zambia, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, expressed his sympathies to the families of the deceased and the SDA Church. “To all the bereaved families and the wider SDA Church, please accept my Government’s deepest condolences for the untimely death of your beloved ones,” said the President. “As Government, we sympathize with you and we will ensure that the funeral expenses are covered by the Government.”
The tragic incident has left the nation in mourning and praying for the missing bodies and survivors. The government has pledged to do everything possible to support the search and rescue operation and to ease the burden on the bereaved families.
Who’s there to ensure that minimum safety standards are observed on our water bodies?
Something is seriously wrong in this church. They never learn or is there something going on that we do not understand? Their world leader was here not long ago!
You wonder why this Chushi Kasanda is in the job? A VVIP is in the country and you will not hear one word from her…they only have her there for gender numbers.
@Gunner
“The government has pledged to do everything possible to support the search and rescue operation and to ease the burden on the bereaved families”
The government should be pledging to do everything possible to prevent such tragedies from ever ocurring. This is fire fighting! You need to prevent the fire in the first place!
Sacrifices! We know the spirits of that lake.
Last year it was Lake Kariba, now Bangweulu. Imwe ba SDA what have you done to the devil that every year he just comes to hunt for souls?
LETS TALK LIFE JACKETS
Gunner+in+Zambia &Tikki have summed it up. When there was the tragedy of the same church at Lake Kariba, did we learn a lesson? I don’t think so. All these years people have been using water transport but who is there to monitor safety standards?
The previous governments have done nothing about safety standards but this government is pledging to do everything possible to prevent such tragedies from ever occurring.
We want practical actions, not words because we know that the moment the victims are buried, the story will end there and we will wait for another tragedy.
Sacrificing the young …..
The government needs to put certain measures in place to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future. 1. Make it mandatory to wear life Jackets when going on the Lake. Anyone taking a passenger in any kind of boat, Canoe, Speedboat, Ferry, etc, without life jackets should be arrested and imprisoned.
2. Setup a rescue team with speedboats and at least one ferry boat. This team should be notified by anyone planning to venture on the lake, especially boats carrying passengers. The boat drivers must be able to communicate with the rescue team as soon as they begin to sense danger while on the lake. 3. Ask your new buddy, America, to give you a used rescue helicopter for free.