An 18-month old boy was killed this past Saturday after he fell down a borehole in Joppie Village in Mamitwa, Limpopo.
Although this incident didn’t happen in the Vaal Triangle, Ster would like to urge all locals to be extremely careful if there’s an open borehole close to where their kids play.
Russel Meiring of ER24’s Communications office says paramedics were called to the scene by the local authorities arriving shortly after 17h00 on Saturday.
It is believed that the boy had fallen down the hole earlier in the day. Members of the community had struggled for some time, digging their way down to the trapped child.
On arrival, paramedics found several people crowded around the small borehole.
ER24 paramedics, along with Mopani Search and Rescue, began to widen the hole in an attempt to reach the child. After some time, specialized rescue technicians were called to the scene for further assistance. Heavy excavators were also used in the operation.
After several long hours, rescue technicians were able to retrieve the body. Unfortunately, the child had already succumbed to his injuries. Nothing could be done for him and he was declared dead.
Local authorities were on the scene for further investigations.