THE police have recovered the bodies of eight people, including a nine-month-old baby, who died when the vehicle they were travelling in was swept away by a flooded river in Kunene on Saturday.
Police spokesperson chief inspector Kauna Shikwambi said yesterday that the eight were part of 13 people who were in a Toyota double cab that was swept away by the Otjivize river on Saturday night. The accident happened near Otjivize village, about 80 kilometres north-west of Opuwo along the Opuwo-Okanguati road.
Shikwambi said the driver and four other adults as well as three children perished.
Although the police said they would release some of the names today, The Namibian established that one of the five women, Patricia Tjindanda, was the wife of pastor Mathew Tjindanda of the Church of the Nazarene at Okanguati.
Patricia was related to the families of the seven people from Otjikondavirongo who died after eating poisoned porridge about two weeks ago in the Kunene region.
Pastor Tjindunda, who confirmed his wife's death yesterday, said some of the people who died in the accident are also related to the poison victims. The pastor was one of those who officiated at the burial of the seven family members.
“I cannot tell you now who and who but I can say my wife is one of them. We are still trying to identify the rest of our family members,” he said, adding that his wife was coming from Opuwo going to Okanguati.
He said it was raining heavily in the area on Saturday and the driver did not realise that the river was flooded when he drove across a bridge.
An Opuwo businessman, Peter Matheus, told The Namibian yesterday that some families had visited Opuwo District Hospital to identify their loved ones who perished in the accident.
“It is full everywhere. People are stunned by the accident, especially after
