Joy turned to sorrow for a family conducting an exhumation ceremony in Ihazolava commune, near Ambohimandroso, last week. A 55-year-old father participating in the famadihana—a traditional turning of the bones ceremony—was found dead in a river. His body was discovered in the water on Sunday afternoon and could not be retrieved immediately as the family awaited the arrival of authorities. The body was kept vigil throughout the night by relatives at the riverbank.

The family had traveled from the capital to Ihazolava, in the fokontany of Andakana, neighboring Ambohimandroso, to perform the ritual changing of burial shrouds for their deceased relatives. The ceremony was scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. However, the family became alarmed by the sudden absence of one of the men present.

"Our brother had left the village to buy phone credit. We last saw him around 6 a.m. on Wednesday. He never returned. It was our mother's shroud that was being changed, and my brother did not attend the ceremony. We don't know where he went," said Rahaingovola Victoire in a telephone interview.

The family waited in vain for his return throughout the evening and the following day. A search was launched, but yielded no results for four days. On Sunday around 2 p.m., children washing tobacco discovered a body in the river that must be crossed to reach Ambohimandroso market. The body was identified by the warm clothing the missing man had been wearing.

"The body was found not near the bridge, but further downstream. It had not been touched—we were waiting for the authorities to conduct their investigation. We remained at the riverbank all night. The body was still in the water. It was an extremely difficult ordeal," Rahaingovola Victoire continued.

Gendarmerie and a medical examiner arrived the following day, Monday, and the remains were then returned to the village after standard procedures.