AMERICAN TOURIST DIES AT VICTORIA FALLS
A 48-YEAR-OLD American tourist from Arizona, identified as Christopher Erick Gibbs Daniel, has drowned in the Victoria Falls.
A police source in Livingstone revealed that Livingstone Police Station on January 7, received a message via WhatsApp of a missing person from Zimbabwe’s Matebeleland North Police Officer-in-Charge of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Kenneth Mpofu.
The source said Daniel, who was on holiday in Zimbabwe, entered Zambia on January 5, and was later reported missing by his female host Cassandra Nicholson, 37, of House No 374 Squire Cumming, Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe.
“It is alleged that Daniel got on a taxi to Zambia to visit the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls. Nicholson reported Daniels missing at around 16:00 hours to Victoria Falls Police Station on January 5. She reported that Daniel could have drowned or trapped under the rocks on the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls, at a place called Danger Gorge,” the police source said.
The officer said the Zambia Police, acting on this information engaged the Livingstone Fire Brigade and Zambia Army Commando’s Special Unit Marine Section and commenced a search operation.
“At the scene of incidence Danger Gorge at the Victoria Falls the team was joined by a team of Police Officers from Zimbabwe. Then at around 18:30 hours the team successfully retrieved the decomposed body of Daniel.
The body was identified by Nicolson who said Daniel had arrived in Zimbabwe from Cape Town last year on December 26, and was lodging at her cottage and was due to check out on January 5, at 10:00 hours. She said he, however left before checking out on the same day prompting her to report him to the police as a missing person,” said the source.
“Further verifications showed that the deceased did date stamp his passport upon entry into Zambia. The body has been taken to Batoka Hospital Mortuary pending postmortem and further investigations”.
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