The bodies of Steven Karembo, popularly known as Lavosty, aged 23, and Tom Wanyonyi, alias Tommy Lee Sparta, aged 24, were retrieved from the Indian Ocean on Monday morning, bringing to three the number of victims confirmed dead in the Tudor boat tragedy.
According to Mombasa County Chief Fire Officer Ibrahim Basafar, the recovery was made by a multi-agency search and rescue team in the early hours of the morning.
“The two bodies were recovered between 2:30am and 2:45am by Captain Salim of the Old Town Beach Management Unit, a county boat team,” Mr Basafar said.
He added that the bodies were found near Jahazi Marine area in Mshomoroni, about one kilometre from the spot where the ill-fated dragon boat capsized during the East Africa Ocean Festival at the Tudor Water Sports Club on Saturday.
The victims were identified by their parents before being processed by police officers and later moved to the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital (CGTRH) mortuary.
The first body, that of Caleb Otieno, 21, had been recovered on Sunday evening, after intense search operations involving divers from the Kenya Navy, Kenya Coast Guard Service, Mombasa County Emergency Response Unit, and local boat operators.
Both the county and national governments have pledged to fully support the bereaved families with burial arrangements.
The three young men were among the participants who had boarded a dragon boat as part of a water sports competition before it capsized inches from the finish line on Friday.
Authorities have since launched an investigation into the incident to establish the exact cause of the accident and assess safety protocols observed during the event.
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