Warrant Officer Gabriel Nel -left and Warrant Officer Marc Wiid.
A mother, 34, who allegedly pushed her son, 10, into the Umtamvuna River in KwaZulu-Natal before jumping in herself was found dead hours later by emergency services, South Coast Herald reports.
Port Shepstone Search and Rescue members, together with NSRI Port Edward duty crew and rescue swimmers, were dispatched.
But police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Zandra Wiid said the child managed to swim to a boat launching site, where he was treated by paramedics.
She added that warrant officers Francois Pretorius, Marc Wiid, Gabriel Nel and Rommel da Rosa and Constable Zozo Mpofana, started searching for the woman in the water in the pitch dark. A police boat was used, as was search and rescue dog, Bear.
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After hours of searching the woman’s body was finally located after midnight and brought to shore. Lieutenant-Colonel Wiid confirmed that an inquest docket is being investigated by Mzamba police.
Then, last Sunday evening at about 8pm, the same members went to the Creighton area, where it was alleged that a 17-year-old boy had disappeared while swimming in a river.
“After searching for hours in the dark, the team finally abandoned the search at midnight, to resume the next day. However the teen has still not been found,” she said.
Police are investigating, and an inquest docket has been opened.
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– Caxton News Service
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