Panic struck fishermen in Mbita district yesterday evening when they discovered three live bombs on Lake Victoria.
The fishermen netted three pieces of M190 bombs while on a fishing mission between Ngodhe Island and Kaswanga beach in Rusinga.
Yesterday’s discovery brings the number of explosives found in the district to 30 since February when a bomb exploded, instantly killing a six-year-old boy at Kiumba beach.
Area Police Boss, Cheruto Githinji, confirmed the incident saying the fishermen called the police who rushed to the scene and collected the unexploded ordnance.
The OCPD said the bombs have been put under tight security as they await detonation by ballistic experts.
She commended area residents for acting swiftly and further appealed to them to continue with the same spirit. The OCPD attributes the quick response by the residents to an aggressive sensitization campaign that has been done in the area after an explosive killed a six-year-old child early in the year.
Late last week, residents of Mbita- Homa Bay County appealed to the Government to send land mine experts to clear explosives from the Lake Victoria region.
The residents cried out that the rampant discovery of live bombs in the area poses a huge threat to the security of fishermen and other lake users, saying that unless urgent action is taken, the situation may worsen.
The explosives, which are believed to date back to the Second World War, are ammunitions and bombs, and have been recovered in several parts of the Mbita district, namely; Kiumba, Ngodhe, Kamgere and Wayando.
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