It is now a week since a car slid from MV Harambee ferry that was moving from the Likoni mainland to Mombasa Island and plunged into the Indian Ocean with two family members on board.

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The occupants, a mother, Mariam Kighenda and her four-year-old daughter, Amanda Mutheu.

Since last week, divers from different government agencies and even private divers have been camping at the Likoni channel but their efforts are yet to yield fruits.

It has emerged that victim's husband, John Wambua, has been under pressure to give into rituals to be done that could lead to the discovery of his family members' bodies.

Wambua has said that, since the rescue operation kicked off eight days ago, he has been receiving invitations from different people to have rituals done, including slaughtering cattle at the channel, that would lead to retrieving the car wreckage and the bodies.

“I have stood firm in my faith. The only blood I believe was shed to save life was that of Jesus. I have turned down such overtures,” said Wambua.

On Saturday, Transport CS James Macharia said divers were facing several challenges while trying to locate the bodies, asking for patience from the family and Kenyans at large.

Some challenges listed included deep depth, bad weather, poor visibility and higher speed of the ocean currents.