Police K9 Search & Rescue divers recovered a body from a car that had been washed away on Sunday evening (March 30) along the N11 between Ladysmith and the Bergville off-ramp.

According to the driver, he was travelling along the road towards the off-ramp in heavy rain when a vehicle coming towards him appeared to be about to hit his car. He veered to the left, plunging off the road into bush close to a small creek that had been turned into a massive river of storm water.

The car was sucked into the raging torrent as it was pushed along in pitch-darkness. The driver remembers undoing his seat belt while the vehicle was completely submerged. The next thing he remembers is bobbing up to the surface of the water.

He was lucky enough to be pushed to an embankment in the darkness, where he scrambled to safety. He managed to get to the road and hail down an approaching motorist, who contacted emergency services.

A massive search & rescue operation was launched and carried on until the early hours of Monday morning before being called off.

K9 Search & Rescue divers Captain Chris Maree and Warrant Officer Jacques Meyer returned later on Monday morning and located the body of the passenger still trapped in the vehicle. By this time, the car was clearly visible from the road after the storm water had subsided.

With the assistance of a local farmer, a tractor was arranged to rotate the submerged vehicle, allowing the divers to free the body still trapped inside.

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