Children among recovered bodies in Jukskei River drowning tragedy

A female toddler believed to be about three months old is among the 12 recovered bodies of church members who drowned on Saturday, when they were swept away by flash floods in the Jukskei River in Johannesburg. 

Two more bodies had already been recovered on Saturday, bringing the total death toll to 14. The victims were taking part in a church baptism ceremony in the river.

Craig Lambinon, spokesperson for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), said the body of a female toddler and a male child were discovered in a stream near the corners of Grayston Drive and Katherine Street on Sunday.

Lambinon said the body of another female child with two adult females were recovered near Morningside Manor, while six female and three male bodies, including two female children, were also recovered later on Sunday.

Lambinon said the NSRI Gauteng, City of Johannesburg EMS, Gauteng EMS, Johannesburg fire and rescue services from Sandton fire station, CPF Security, SAPS, police divers and police K9 search and rescue had assembled at Arkwright Avenue, where a search and rescue mission was co-ordinated.

They had been alerted that about 18 missing people had been washed away by the fast-flowing river, Lambinon said.

“During an initial search, fire and rescue services located a female where NSRI rescue swimmers and police divers recovered the body of the adult female on a sandbank in the Jukskei River at the Grayston Drive bridge on Katherine Street,” Lambinon said.

“An adult female was recovered by fire and rescue services officers near Arkwright Avenue and she was transported to hospital by ambulance in a stable condition suffering from hypothermia.”

Lambinon said NSRI were notified that emergency services had located and recovered the body of a female teenager, which had been taken into the care of government health forensic pathology services.

He said a Fidelity Security helicopter, with thermal imaging sensors, joined the search.

On Sunday morning, NSRI Vaal Dam and NSRI Hartbeespoort Dam joined the emergency search and rescue operation.

“More cases from church baptism have not been ruled out. Investigations are continuing,” Lambinon said.

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