The body of a woman who drowned on Wednesday after her shack was swept away by a river in Diepsloot outside Johannesburg has been found, Gauteng police said.
Superintendent Eugene Opperman, of the province’s water wing and diving unit, said the 30-year-old woman was found just after 10am.
Rescue workers embarked on a search for the woman after her shack was swept away by the river with her family still inside.
Emergency services managed to rescue her husband and two children — a baby girl and an 11-year-old boy — and they were taken to a nearby hospital where they were in a stable condition.
”We would like to reiterate our warning that people refrain from building their houses or shacks on the river embankment,” said Opperman. ”We have seen this happen before in Diepsloot and other places.”
The identity of the woman would be released as soon as her next-of-keen had been notified of her death.
Man drowns in Secunda
A man drowned on Tuesday when the car he was travelling was washed off a flooded bridge at Secunda.
Police spokesperson Superintendent Graham Grimsdell said on Wednesday that according to the driver, he tried to cross an overflowing bridge.
The water swept the car into Watervalspruit River.
The driver and one occupant were rescued by two police officers.
”We are still waiting for the fire brigade to pull the vehicle out of the river,” said Grimsdell. — Sapa — Sapa