Tuesday’s heavy downpour which caused flash flooding has left a teenage boy dead and four of his friends critically ill in hospital, eyewitnesses said.

The boys were bathing under a bridge in London Corner, Serrekunda during heavy rain when they were swept away by raging torrent of floodwater. 

“This happened between 8 and 9am. The boys were bathing because some of them do go fishing. But the flooding overpowered the boys and drowned them. The boy died before people arrived at the scene,” one of the eyewitnesses said.

“I blame some elders because I met them around the flooding trying to help the drowning boys, but some of them were not willing to get in the water,” said another eyewitness.

Police spokesman Superintendent Lamin Njie said they have no report of the incident.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba