Two brothers drowned in the Blue Nile river after one of them slipped into the water and his brother tried to save him.
The tragedy happened near the town of Arbaji in Al Jazirah in Sudan, opposite Rufaa on the left bank of the river.
The brothers, identified only as Mazen and Moayad, had gone down to the banks of the river to collect grass as animal fodder.
But as one of the boys went to the water to drink, the bank crumbled away and toppled him into the water.
His brother jumped in to try and save him, reported local media, and both of them were swept away and drowned.
Police have not made public the ages of the boys and only the body of the older brother Moayad has been found.
The deaths highlights that Sudan has one of the highest rates of death from drowning in the world.
Latest available statistics indicate that 359 people drowned in 2020 and 251 in 2021.
But although 2022 data is not yet complete, the indications are that this was one of the worst years on record, with 40 people alone drowning during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan alone.
The Blue Nile is one of the main tributaries of the Nile and it originates at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It then travels for 1,450 km (900 miles) through Ethiopia and then Sudan, where the tragedy happened.
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Story By: Michael Leidig, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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