This archive report was first published on 20 November 2019.
On November 20, 2019, a devastating flash flood swept through a region, claiming the lives of Winfrida Lyimo and her entire family, including her husband and three children.
Josefa Lyimo, Winfrida's mother, shared her last conversation with her daughter before the tragedy. 'I have high blood pressure and heart problems so before we went to visit Anna at school I passed by a hospital and picked up my medication,' Josefa said.
Josefa also revealed that she was unable to attend her daughter's burial due to her distance from the location. 'I did not attend the burial because I was informed that my daughter and her family were being buried that evening. I live far from where they lived and I could not have made it,' she explained.
Winfrida's family was on their way home when Anna, her daughter, asked for a phone to talk to her father, unaware that he had passed away. 'Anna kept asking for a phone so that she could speak to her dad but we told her that her dad's phone had spoiled and we did not have his new number,' Josefa said, her voice filled with pain.
Josefa had spoken to her daughter on the day of the accident, with Winfrida promising to visit her for a month once Anna finished school. 'She had promised me that once Anna cleared school they would come and visit me for a whole month. Their last born child was 1 year, three months old,' Josefa said, her voice cracking with grief.
