(Video) Search continues for man swept away by strong current – wife devastated
Whilst on the scene, the wife was wailing and attempted to enter the river, fortunately, a vigilant bystander saw her and stopped her from entering the dangerous current.
A police diver and the Lydenburg K9 Search and Rescue Unit underwent a search mission at Botshabelo today after a man was swept away in a flood last night while walking across a low-water bridge.
The bridge is 200m from the Ndebele museum.
According to one eyewitness who was with the man last night, a small group were walking from Mokokotlong when they noticed the low-water bridge was flooded.
@middelburgobserver Emotional scenes as a family watches divers search for the body of their missing loved one
The eyewitness said they decided to cross the bridge holding hands. As they got to the other side, they noticed that the man had been swept off his feet and was struggling to stay afloat while being carried down the river.
The Steve Tshwete Local Municipality announced on their Facebook page on Sunday afternoon that the sluice gates would be opened due to the Middelburg Dam being at 99% capacity.
Also read: Middelburg Dam water level exceeds 99%, sluice gate to open today
Rescue mission
Today, Middelburg Observer journalists went to the area, where they found a pregnant woman crying uncontrollably at the scene.
The woman was identified as the wife of the missing man.
Police divers also arrived on the scene to search for the missing man. They went about 1km into the river, but they couldn’t find him.
They will be returning to the scene tomorrow.
Missing man
The man is a Malawian national, and according to information gathered on the scene, he was appointed as a cattle herder just two days ago.
He lives in Botshabelo with his pregnant wife and other relatives from Malawi.
Whilst on the scene, the wife was wailing and attempted to enter the river, fortunately, a vigilant bystander saw her and stopped her from entering the dangerous current.
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