Hundreds of 10 kg bags of Snowflake wheat flour that were looted from a truck on Friday were recovered by members of Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) and police officers in Parkgate, Verulam.

Prem Balram, Rusa’s spokesperson, said they received a call for assistance after hundreds of residents surrounded a stationary truck on an unnamed road and began looting the load.

“The driver is from Johannesburg in Gauteng and took a wrong turn which ended in a cul-de-sac.”

He said reaction officers and the Verulam SAPS were immediately dispatched and arrived on scene at around 1.30 pm.

“Members of the community, which included elderly women and children as young as five years old, were seen fleeing with the stolen goods.

“Several vehicles loaded with bags of the wheat flour sped off on arrival of first responders. They were pursued and intercepted. Several hundred bags were recovered,” said Balram.

He said police officers and Rusa officers stabilised the scene and escorted the truck out of the area.