Two people drowned and a third managed to escape death when a truck transporting sand went over a bridge on the Komati River in the Tonga area, near South Africa’s borders with Mozambique and Eswatini, on Thursday afternoon.

The Ehlanzeni Police Diving Unit’s Captain Pottie Potgieter said the unit and some members of SARZA Lowveld managed to recover one body from the truck yesterday, but will continue the search for the second victim today.

Potgieter said it was reported that a truck driver, a crew member and a passenger were driving up the bridge at about 16:00 on Thursday when the truck reportedly slipped out of gear, slid down an incline and went over the bridge.

He said the driver was lucky to escape before the vehicle went over the bridge, hit the water and was submerged, however, the crew member and passenger were not so lucky.

Potgieter said the passenger was found inside the truck and was recovered by the unit and SARZA Lowveld.

He said, however, that the windscreen was broken when the truck hit the water, and due to the strong current, the crew member’s body was pulled from the truck and swept into the river.

SARZA Lowveld’s Andrew Geldenhuys said the recovery was extremely technical and dangerous.