As the rescue operations for Mariam Kighenda and her daughter who drowned on Sunday continues, her husband, John Wambua has broken his silence.

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Wambua in an interview with SDE said that he would have died in the tragedy if he hadn't chosen to stay home with their son, Elvis.

He said that he normally accompanies his wife whenever she visited their business but chose to stay behind on Sunday.

"I normally accompany her to the farm but on Sunday I opted to stay indoors," Wambua was quoted by SDE.

He narrated that he learnt about the tragedy on Twitter where he ran for 20 minutes without shoes from his home in Tudor to Likoni ferry police station.

The man recalled that he had spoken to his wife just minutes before the tragedy struck.

"I had spoken to my wife at 6:15 pm before she boarded the ferry. She complained of the long queues. I tried to call for the second time but I could not reach her and that's when I decided to rush to the Likoni ferry to find out what happened to her," Wambua noted.

He said that his wife, a businesswoman in Mombasa was heading to the family farm at Gasi in Msambweni before she met her death.

Family and friends of the victims have camped on the island side waiting for the recovery operation.

According to Kenya Ferry Services managing director Bakari Gowa, the vehicle had sunk 60 metres into the ocean making it difficult for it to be retrieved.