Two alleged drowning incidents were yesterday during a period of unsettled weather across parts of the country.
In Lautoka, an eight-year-old boy, Ernest Pickering, was found floating in the Kaleli River at around 10am.
The primary school student had reportedly followed his older brother to collect bamboo near their home.
His uncle, Eparama Cakautavatava, said the boy’s absence was noticed when their grandfather called for the children later that morning.
Efforts to locate him proved unsuccessful until police informed the family that Ernest’s body had been found in the river.
Ernest was the youngest of five children.
In a separate incident, a man in his 60s who had gone fishing off Tubou in Lakeba was later found floating motionless in the sea.
Police say the circumstances surrounding both incidents remain under investigation.
Post-mortem examinations will be conducted as investigations continue.
