A body was discovered near Fletcher Road in Vatuwaqa today, marking the fourth such finding in Fiji within the past month. This unsettling trend has raised alarms among local communities regarding safety and security.
The latest remains were found in the Muaniwavu settlement by a mother and daughter who were out gathering herbal medicine early this morning. They stumbled upon the body located near the mangroves and promptly reported their discovery to the police. Eyewitness Waisake Sawanivalu recounted how police were transported to the scene by boat. Upon arrival, authorities uncovered skeletal remains which suggest that the body had been at the location for some time, possibly since around Christmas.
Sawanivalu indicated that the deceased is believed to be a young man aged between 25 and 30 years. The remains were subsequently secured and moved into a body bag. Local canteen operator Merewalesi Seruvatu reported arriving at the area around 7 am and saw a gathering of people near a bridge. She expressed her shock at the scene, noting that the body was in a decomposed state and that residents had never encountered such an incident before.
Ongoing police investigations aim to identify the deceased, as the Vatuwaqa discovery adds to a troubling series of findings. Just a few weeks prior, a woman’s body was recovered in Lautoka on December 6, followed by the discovery of a 15-year-old boy’s body in Tamavua-i-Wai, and another man’s body found in Lautoka this past Sunday.
The unsettling pattern of body discoveries highlights an urgent need for community vigilance and safety measures as residents grapple with the implications of these incidents.