Boy drowns while swimming with friends at flooded excavation site

A 12-year-old drowned on Sunday while swimming with friends at an excavation site outside Evander on Gauteng's East Rand.

According to ER24, the site had filled up with water due to recent heavy rains in Gauteng.

The boy's friends ran for help when they realised he was in trouble.

ER24's Ross Campbell said that paramedics and search-and-rescue divers arrived at 5.55pm after being called out by police.

“The distressed boy's parents were on scene as well. SAPS diver Sgt Nagel and Andries Lee from Delta 1 managed to recover the body and ER24 unfortunately declared the boy dead on the scene,” said Campbell.