SWAKOPMUND – Police in the Erongo region have started an investigation after three people from a Swakopmund neighbourhood died within hours of each other.
The suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths of the three, two men and a woman, have send shockwaves through the close-knit Mondesa community.
The police, however, remained tight-lipped on the matter. It is speculated that the woman died at a friend’s place. She was allegedly visiting the friend when she complained of not feeling well, and reportedly slept at the friend’s place.
Her lifeless body was discovered yesterday morning, and shortly afterwards the second and third deaths were reported to the authorities.
It is not clear how the two men died. Crime investigations coordinator in the region Erastus Iikuyu confirmed the deaths yesterday.
He said a fourth person was taken to the hospital in a critical condition. He added that the police will conduct post-mortems to determine the exact cause of the deaths. “We don’t want to cause panic among the community, hence we would rather not speculate at this stage,” said Iikuyu.
“We are currently also studying CCTV footage to find out what transpired.”
An investigation has since been launched to establish if there is any connection between all the victims, as they are all from the same area.
“It is too early to speculate why people are vomiting and dying, and we don›t want to cause unnecessary panic as some deaths might be due to natural causes. Hence, we will not be releasing any details,” Iikuyu reiterated.
Swakopmund constituency councillor Louisa Kativa expressed shock over the deaths yesterday. “Although I am not in town, it saddens me to learn of the tragic deaths in my constituency, and hope that there will be answers soon for the families,” she said.