Search and rescue launched for four missing, presumed drowned
Four people are missing and are presumed to have drowned during the recent floods in some parts of the Lowveld.
The recent heavy rainfall has not only left a trail of disaster but has claimed casualties as well. As of Monday, the province had recorded eight drownings on top of these four missing individuals. The custodian of the Disaster Management Centre, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, through its MEC, Mandla Msibi, confirmed that these people were presumed to have drowned, but that they are still missing.
READ: Government steps in to assess flood damage
“It is really shocking that as a province we have lost so many people due to this rainfall. What saddens us the most is that there are still people who have not been found, meaning that their bodies are still out there. This is a sad moment for all of us, especially the families who lost their loved ones due to this rain,” said Msibi. He promised that authorities were going to double their efforts and try their level best to find the missing people.
READ: Tekwane South on fire “Last week, the police conducted three major search-and rescue operations with more focus on KaNyamazane where a house had collapsed, Masoyi near Hazyview where a young boy had drowned and in Donkerhoek where a 13-year-old boy drowned while trying to cross a dam,” said Msibi. A contingent of police diving experts with dogs conducted the operations, and by Monday night no one had been recovered yet.
