Two bodies of missing South Africans found in Mozambique
The four young people who went missing from Portuguese Island have been identified, and two bodies have been recovered.
A photo taken today of the search area.
Two bodies of the four young people that went missing off the coast of Mozambique have been recovered, reports Middelburg Observer.
According to a South African expat working on Inhaca Island, the body of a male was found drifting in one of the channels caused by sea currents on Thursday afternoon.
On the DriveMoz group, Lester Mouton said that news of the body of a female that washed up on the beach at Macaneta, about 28 km from the Portuguese Island where the four swimmers were last seen, had been recovered.
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A group of eight young people traveled to Mozambique to celebrate a birthday of one of the group. The group traveled to the Portuguese Island on Monday. Four were overpowered by a sea current and presumably drowned. The four people that went missing have been identified as Tjolo David Kaise, Gregory Mfane and two Groblersdal residents Mahlogonolo Mmatholo and Lesego Matsepe.
The remaining four of the group are all from Groblersdal and Tafelkop. They are Vincent Rammupudu, Lesedi Mmotong, Basetsana Mogafe and Lefentse Mampuru.
Elias Motsoaledi mayor Julia Mathebe and her municipal manager have gone to Mozambique to assist the families on behalf of the premier.
Limpopo Premier Chupu Stanley Mathabatha conveyed his condolences to the families involved.
The search escalated after a woman from Groblersdal, Limpopo asked for help on the DriveMoz Facebook group on Monday night. Her neighbour in Groblersdal asked for her assistance after he was contacted by his daughter, telling him that four of her friends had been missing since Monday afternoon, reports Middelburg Observer.
The group of young people, said to be in their 20s, were on holiday in Mozambique and took a boat to the Portuguese Island, adjacent to Inhaca, on Monday.
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Some of them went swimming and were swept away from shore by a strong current. One person was rescued while four swimmers are still missing.
Sara Currie Millar, an administrator on the DriveMoz group, said on Tuesday that the search was still underway. DriveMoz members rallied together after learning of the news, offering assistance to the traumatized group of four young people who survived the ordeal and liaising with Mozambican authorities to help with the search for the missing persons.
The captain of the boat that took the group to the island searched for the missing people as long as daylight permitted.
Millar said that he was back on the sea at 4am on Tuesday to continue his search
A photo of the area where the group went swimming. The search party can be seen in the background. Photo: Supplied
She was full of praise for Mozambican officials as well as DriveMoz members who had been participating in the search.
The young people who survived the ordeal were supported by good Samaritans in Maputo.
The Portuguese Island from where the group went missing. (Supplied by Sara Currie Millar)
Their parents traveled to Mozambique early on Tuesday morning. All the parents of the group involved have been notified about the situation.
South African Embassy officials in Mozambique have also been in contact with them.
A South African expat who is currently on Portuguese Island said that a large number of boats, as well as a helicopter, were participating in the search earlier this week. He confirmed at 2:30pm that the search was still continuing but that they had not managed to find any of the missing persons yet.
Members on the DriveMoz group have offered messages of support and prayer for the safe return of the missing swimmers on Facebook.
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