An eight-year-old girl was swept off the Peace Valley bridge in Pietermaritzburg after the heavy rains which struck KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday.
It is understood the girl was with her mother when they were trying to cross a low-lying bridge across the Msunduzi River.
Local ward councillor Dumisani Phungula told TimesLIVE the mother had a younger child on her back and was also holding the eight-year-old girl.
Phungula said according to the mother, the girl lost her grip and was swept away.
He said the mother crossed and called for help.
“It's a very tragic thing to happen. We visited the family as soon as we heard about the incident and called for assistance from the rescuers.
“The problem is the water is flowing and the teams are unable to look for the child. They have told us they will have to wait for water levels to lower.”
Phungula said divers are, however, conducting searches.
He said this was not the first incident at the same spot.
Phungula warned residents to avoid crossing low-lying bridges as they are dangerous.
The KwaZulu-Natal department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs placed disaster teams on high alert after the South African Weather Service issued a severe weather warning for large parts of the province on Thursday and Friday.
Department spokesperson Senzelwe Mzila said the warning indicated large parts of KwaZulu-Natal could expect disruptive rainfall, with the probability of widespread flooding. The department urged residents to avoid rivers and low-lying bridges.
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Girl, 8, washed away while crossing a bridge in Pietermaritzburg
Image: Supplied
An eight-year-old girl was swept off the Peace Valley bridge in Pietermaritzburg after the heavy rains which struck KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday.
It is understood the girl was with her mother when they were trying to cross a low-lying bridge across the Msunduzi River.
Local ward councillor Dumisani Phungula told TimesLIVE the mother had a younger child on her back and was also holding the eight-year-old girl.
Phungula said according to the mother, the girl lost her grip and was swept away.
He said the mother crossed and called for help.
“It's a very tragic thing to happen. We visited the family as soon as we heard about the incident and called for assistance from the rescuers.
“The problem is the water is flowing and the teams are unable to look for the child. They have told us they will have to wait for water levels to lower.”
Phungula said divers are, however, conducting searches.
He said this was not the first incident at the same spot.
Phungula warned residents to avoid crossing low-lying bridges as they are dangerous.
The KwaZulu-Natal department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs placed disaster teams on high alert after the South African Weather Service issued a severe weather warning for large parts of the province on Thursday and Friday.
Department spokesperson Senzelwe Mzila said the warning indicated large parts of KwaZulu-Natal could expect disruptive rainfall, with the probability of widespread flooding. The department urged residents to avoid rivers and low-lying bridges.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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