Kenyan woman drowns while livestreaming on Facebook

CHATSWORTH, ONTARIO, CANADA – AUGUST 18, 2022 23-year-old Hellen Wendy Nyabuto died in a tragic accident in a motel swimming pool. After her work shift, the young Kenyan woman went for a swim in the pool at Key Motel. During her swim, she was livestreaming on Facebook. At the time, no one could have imagined that the broadcast would turn into a recording of her death.

Hellen, who was originally from Kenya’s Kisii County, lived in Canada and worked as a personal support worker at a long-term care facility. At the same time, she was studying to become a registered nurse. According to statements from those close to her, she regularly sent money to her family in Kenya and helped pay for her younger siblings’ education.

At first, she moved around the pool without any apparent difficulty and interacted with viewers watching her livestream. However, after approximately ten minutes, she moved into the deeper end, where she began struggling to stay above the surface. She then called for help before disappearing underwater.

There was nobody in the pool area at the time who could intervene immediately. As a result, the livestream continued for several more hours. Her body was eventually discovered by other motel guests, who called for help and ended the broadcast. At approximately 5:44 p.m., the Ontario Provincial Police and emergency responders arrived at the scene. Despite attempts to resuscitate her, the young woman could not be saved.

The incident was investigated by police in the Grey Bruce area, who classified it as an accidental death with no suspicious circumstances. Motel owner Navneet Nagra later stated that the swimming pool met the relevant safety regulations but was not supervised by a lifeguard.

The tragedy also devastated her family in Kenya. Her father, who was 56 years old at the time of the incident, later admitted that he had watched the recording of his daughter’s final moments. He said that witnessing the tragedy had deeply affected him. Her boyfriend and brother subsequently helped organize a fundraiser to cover the costs of transporting her remains and arranging her funeral.

A total of 1,753 people contributed to the fundraiser, raising 66,010 Canadian dollars. Hellen’s remains arrived at Nairobi Airport on October 1, 2022. Four days later, she was buried in her home county of Kisii.

MORE PHOTOS OF HELLEN:

READ MORE:
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/23/africa/kenyan-woman-drowns-swimming-livestream-intl
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/woman-23-dies-drowning-accident-was-streamed-facebook-rcna44634