Tanzanian Google employee dead in US after falling overboard from boat
Abraham Mgowano has worked for Google for 10 years, since 2014 as a software engineer. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Abraham Mgowano, 35, who worked for Google as a software engineer, was found on Tuesday after being missing since falling from the 44-foot Sea Ray cabin cruiser on Saturday
- His body was found on Tuesday
Dar es Salaam. Family and friends of Tanzanian man who died in the US after falling from a boat have opened up following the sad news of the passing of their loved one.
The deceased, Abraham Mgowano, 35, was found dead on Tuesday aftr going missing since Staurday, when he fell from a boat in the Miami River in the US.
"We are now in the midst of plans to bring the body back to Tanzania. We expect it to take between 10and 15 days from today," Alexander Mgowano, a brother to the deceased told The Citizen.
He said his young brother has been residing in the US since September 2010, when he joined Stanford University. Following the completion of his studies, he transitioned into the professional realm, securing a postion as software engineer at Google in 2014.
The body of the deceased, who fell from a chartered yacht making its way up the Miami River in the US over the weekend was found floating in the water, the police confirmed.
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials, on Saturday, Mgowano fell overboard from a 44-foot cabin cruiser near Lummus Park in the 400 block of Northwest River Drive.
Since that day, Miami Police and other officials searched for Mgowano by air and even called on divers to search for him in the water.
Despite their efforts, they weren’t able to find Mgowano until they received a call about a body floating in the river on Tuesday and went to recover it.
However, the police did not release details about where Mgowano’s corpse was discovered or who found him.
According to the initial incident report released by the FWC, 12 other people who were together on board with Mgowano told investigators they saw him go overboard and never resurface.
The report states that the boat operator, Eddy Espinosa Hernandez, 39, was a captain hired by the passengers. He could not be reached for comment. Police noted in their report that he “showed no signs of impairment.”
One of his closest friends, Joseph Rwehumbiza, said they had lost someone who had true love for everyone, and they would always meet when he came to Tanzania from the US.
In a joint statement provided to The Citizen, friends of Mgowano said, “Abraham was the greatest of all time. We call him a genius; he had a big heart; he always loved us and showed us true love. He always united us when he came to Tanzania for a visit.”
Rwehumbiza and other members of the group called Loyolite, consisting of former classmates of Mgowano at Loyola High School, completed Form 4 in 2006.
