Rescue operators on the scene at Ndwedwe River in KwaZulu-Natal, trying to locate a drowned toddler. Pictures - RUSA
The family of a two-year-old boy who drowned in a river in Ndwedwe in KwaZulu-Natal has recovered the boy’s body.
Rescue operators launched a search for the toddler, who was swept away by strong river currents on Tuesday, just after lunchtime.
He was with his father on the banks of the Ndwedwe River, in the Illembe District at the time of the incident.
A resident had contacted Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) for assistance after they failed to locate the child, who was standing on the edge of the river while his father washed his Toyota Fortuner.
Reaction Unit officers were dispatched to the location and on arrival met with the boy’s father.
“The father of the boy explained that the child was standing next to the vehicle which was parked on the edge of the river,” explained RUSA spokesperson Prem Balram.
“He was busy washing his vehicle when he lost sight of the child,” said Balram.
The boy is suspected to have been swept away. South Africa Police Service K9 Search and Rescue Unit was on scene and used a specially trained dog to enter the river to search for the child.
The toddler’s family later recovered his body in the dense vegetation along the river bank.