Water police recover 4 bodies in Johannesburg over the course of 2 days
Gauteng Water Policing and Diving Services have recovered 4 bodies from rivers across Johannesburg in 2 days, prompting renewed calls for public vigilance and co-operation as investigations get under way.
Gauteng Water Policing and Diving Services have recovered the bodies of four drowning victims from different locations across Johannesburg in a span of just over 24 hours, highlighting the hidden dangers of the city’s waterways.
The first recovery took place on February 3, at around 11:30, when divers were deployed to the Royal Johannesburg Golf Club in Norwood.
The body of an unknown woman was located in the river and retrieved by the diving team. She was handed over to Norwood SAPS at the scene, where an inquest docket was opened to determine the circumstances surrounding her death.
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Later that day, at approximately 13:40, the water policing team was called to a second scene at the N3 Linksfield off-ramp, beneath the bridge. There, the body of a 47-year-old man was found trapped in debris in the river. The team carefully hoisted the body from the embankment before handing it over to Sandringham SAPS. An inquest docket was also opened.
A third recovery followed shortly after, at 15:00, at the corner of Modderfontein and Pretoria roads in the Sandringham area. The body of a 40-year-old man was discovered floating in a confined section of the river near the bridge. Once again, divers retrieved the body and handed it to Sandringham SAPS for further investigation.
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Additionally, on February 4, at about 13:00, the team was deployed to Cosmo City, where the body of a 19-year-old man was reported in severely contaminated water.
Due to the hazardous conditions, alternative retrieval methods were used to safely recover the body, which was then handed over to Cosmo City SAPS. An inquest docket was opened in this case as well.
Members of the public with information related to any of the incidents are urged to contact their nearest police station or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
The investigations into all four deaths are ongoing.
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