Liberian man drowns while trying to retrieve $20 note he mistakenly dropped in river

A Liberian man, Tamba Lamine, has drowned after jumping from a bridge into a river in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, to retrieve a $20 note that he had mistakenly dropped according to a report by BBC.

According to police spokesman Moses Carter who spoke to the BBC, Mr Lamine was walking with a friend on the bridge when the $20 note fell into the river.

Lamine, who is a street hawker then dived into the river and retrieved the money. After finding the money, he showed it to onlookers but then drowned, according to Carter.

He felt pressured to get the cash back because he needed to give his friend his $5 “share” of  some merchandise they jointly sold , Mr Carter said.

Police now say Lamine’s body has not been found.

Explaining the shocking story, Mr Carter said onlookers who saw Lamine dive thought he was safe after he emerged from the water to show them the note, but he then disappeared and did not resurface.

He drowned in the Mesuradu River, which runs between mainland Monrovia and the industrial district of Bushrod Island.

The United States dollar is a stronger currency than Liberia’s own dollar –  $20 equates to around 3,900 Liberian dollars.