Man drowns in Steenkoolspruit
Kriel SAPS is investigating the circumstances surrounding the drowning in the Steenkoolspruit this afternoon.
The body of a 19-year-old man was recovered after he disappeared beneath the water in the Steenkoolspruit, which runs past Ga-Nala, earlier today.
The Mpumalanga Inland Water Police (MIWP) responded swiftly to the incident and requested assistance from Delta 1 Rescue Diving, as this section of the river is known to be extremely difficult to search and dive in due to large rock formations.
Sergeants Franshua Joubert and Dilo Mochayi from the MIWP located the body and, with the help of Daylan Appelgryn, Tjokkie Roets and CJ Prinsloo from Delta 1, recovered it.
The circumstances surrounding how and why the man entered the water are unknown.
Kriel SAPS is investigating the incident.
The man’s name has been withheld because he has not yet been formally identified.
*In January last year, divers from Delta 1 Rescue fine-combed the turbulent river where the man, fishing with his friend on January 15, slipped and fell into the raging waters.
The man’s body was never found.
