Umvoti River claims child’s life
Boy drowns in area reportedly made unsafe by sand mining.
Around midday yesterday, a 12-year-old boy attempted to cross the Umvoti River near the Umgeni Water Works and, according to bystanders, suddenly started struggling and went under.
IPSS Medical Rescue and Police Search and Rescue divers searched the muddy water for about an hour and a half, before recovering the body of the boy.
Rodney Meyrick from IPSS Medical Rescue said that there are many deep holes in the river bed due to illegal sand dredging, creating air pockets in the river bed and once stepped on, the air pocket gives way.
For non swimmers or people who feel uneasy in water, this sudden, sinking can cause panic.
A similar incident happened on January 2, when a 21-year-old male drowned in a sand mining pit along the Umvoti river (‘Man drowns in sand mining pit’, Courier, January 2).
The illegal dredging is not only harmful to the environment, but is also a death trap for innocent river crossers.
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