Two workers including a foreigner contracted to build the multibillion Dongo Kundu bridge have died after drowning in the Indian Ocean.
The two were identified as Santhosh Pappy, 44, a foreigner from South East Asia and Johness Otieno, 35. Reports indicate their boat capsized in the ocean.
Police said the tragic incident happened in Mkupe, near the Miritini Standard Gauge Railway terminus on Tuesday afternoon.
Area Police boss Alfred Nthiga and Jomvu OCS Paul Chai were among the security officials who led the two-day search operation to retrieve corpses.
Jomvu Sub-County Police Commander Alfred Nthiga confirmed the incident to The Standard, saying all bodies have been retrieved and investigations were ongoing.
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He said the foreigner's body was the first to be retrieved followed by that of the Kenyan man on Wednesday morning.
The police chief noted that they have handed the matter to marine officials to unravel what transpired, adding that the postmortem of the Kenyan was set for Wednesday, while that of the foreigner is yet to be scheduled.
"Two people died in the accident, we have handed the matter to marine officials,’ ’said the police chief.
The duo drowned after the boat they were in capsized on Tuesday evening at around 5pm. It is not clear what caused the accident but witnesses said the boat was overloaded.
The project is among several other projects that President Uhuru Kenyatta visited last week during his visit to Mombasa.
The duo were part of the employees of Southern Engineering company which is a subcontractor building the bridge connecting Mirtini and Kwale County at Dongo Kundu area.
Marine police, Kenya coast guards and private divers managed to retrieve the body of the foreigner, Santhosh Pappy on Tuesday at around 11pm.
Their bodies were taken to the Coast General Hospital Mortuary.
Efforts to get the company's comments bore no fruit.
