Six-year-old drowns in river outside Pietermaritzburg

Two people, including a six-year-old boy, drowned in KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend.

According to ER24, the boy drowned on Saturday in the Mzunduzi River in the Sobantu area outside Pietermaritzburg.

"ER24 paramedics arrived at 4.55pm after a call was issued from [SAPS] Search and Rescue. The local community had managed to pull the boy from the river, but it was unfortunately too late," said ER 24 spokesperson Ross Campbell.

Paramedics had tried to resuscitate the boy, but were unsuccessful.

In a second incident, a man believed to be in his late 30s, drowned in the Midmar Dam in Howick on Saturday.

"An unknown male was discovered by a local fisherman floating in the Midmar Dam this afternoon [Saturday]," said Midlands EMS in a statement.

The fisherman notified authorities, who were called to the scene, the emergency service said. He was certified dead at the scene.

"The circumstances around the incident will be investigated further by the local authorities," Midlands EMS said.