Two cousins aged 22 and 25, reported missing since September 11, have been found dead in the waters of the Ikopa. Their families suspect foul play.

A family in Androndra Ampamantanana is in deep mourning. Two young men, aged 22 and 25, in the prime of their lives, have been tragically killed. According to reports, the two men were murdered before their bodies were thrown into the Ikopa waters at Tanjombato. One body was discovered Tuesday afternoon, while the second was found Wednesday at noon.

Tiavina and Tahiry, the two victims, were cousins—children of two sisters—and both were the youngest in their families. Their mothers, Virginie Razafindramihaja and Lalao Justine Razaiarisoa, are struggling to cope with this profound loss. During our interview yesterday, the pain of losing their children was evident on the faces of the two sisters.

Tiavina and Tahiry had been missing since Friday, September 11, and never returned home. Search notices had been issued. Their bodies were eventually found in the water on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"I still held hope of seeing him again. I thought my son was somewhere out there. After some time, I began to lose hope, thinking of missing persons found dead. I wondered if my son had met the same fate. Unfortunately, that is what happened," said Tiavina's mother.

"Tiavina was found dead first, in the water. I still thought Tahiry might have managed to get out, that someone had rescued him and he was alive somewhere. But he too was found dead. He was my youngest son. He was still a student, saving money to continue his studies. He cared deeply about that money he had set aside. Sometimes he was reluctant when asked for it, but he would say: 'Don't you know this money could eventually come back to you too.' Now that he's gone, he has indeed stopped saving," said Tahiry's mother.

The remains of the two young men, cousins and sons of two sisters, are now being kept at their home in Androndra Ampamantanana. They will be buried in the same grave. "We decided to put them in one tomb because they were always together. Misfortune struck them together, so we thought it best not to separate them and to reunite them in the same grave," explained Tahiry's mother.