A 9-year-old boy lost his life while reportedly fetching water from a river. Tavoy Griffiths from the community of Harris Pass in Browns Hall, St. Catherine, died in a drowning incident early Monday morning. Tavoy, who attended Browns Hall Primary School, drowned while collecting water from a river close to his home.
Reports indicate that around 6:10 a.m., Tavoy made his way to the river. It is said that he experienced difficulties while getting the water and never made it back home. The police were alerted and responded swiftly, but sadly, Tavoy was pronounced dead after his body was retrieved from the river. A post-mortem is expected to be carried out as investigations continue.
The tragedy has since ignited a flurry of emotional responses across social media, where people expressed sadness, frustration, and outrage. Many questioned how a child so young ended up alone by the river. “Mi not even a send my 9-year-old a di shop next door,” one commenter said. Another wrote, “Why allow a 9-year-old to go the river? Mighty God of Daniel, I’m hurting.”
While some blamed the lack of adult supervision, others took a wider view, turning attention to the lack of basic infrastructure in rural areas. One commenter put it bluntly: “2025 and a baby needed to go fetch water from a river.”
Several others echoed the same call, that water should be accessible to all, and that no child should lose their life while trying to meet such a basic need. In the words of one commenter, “These are the things politicians should be basing emphasis on, proper water supply in rural areas, adequate assistance to the elderly and less fortunate.”
Some also used the moment to highlight the importance of teaching children life skills like swimming, calling for it to be mandatory in schools, alongside subjects like math and English.