Muzi Tshuma (22), who was a second year student at National University of Science and Technology (Nust) drowned in the Zambezi River in Binga while allegedly trying to save his girlfriend, who survived, during a Seventh Day Adventist Church youth camp on Wednesday.

The incident occurred at around 2PM in the Zambezi River near Binga centre. A source at the camp who spoke to The Chronicle said church leaders had warned the more than 3 000 youths not to get into the water but Tshuma and some friends decided to go for a swim. Binga District Administrator, Mrs Lydia Ndethi-Banda, said the body was retrieved at around 1 PM by a sub-aqua team that arrived in the district on Wednesday night.

Due to increasing drowning incidents, police have constantly urged people not to play in or near water bodies. In a statement recently, national police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said cases of drowning normally increase during the rainy season.