Authorities in Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal, express optimism about locating the final body from a flooding incident that swept a bakkie off a bridge. The accident involved ten workers, with five bodies recovered so far and two still missing. Search efforts continue with support from local departments and the community.
On Thursday night, heavy rains in Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal, caused a bakkie carrying ten farm workers to be swept off a low-lying submerged bridge into the Tugela River. The workers were being transported home at the time of the incident. Of the ten occupants, the driver and two others managed to reach safety, while the rest were carried away by the floodwaters.
By Sunday, search teams had recovered the body of the fifth farm worker from the river near Msinga. Earlier reports indicated that the search was ongoing for two more missing individuals. Sibonelo Khoza from the Msinga Disaster Management Team stated, “I would like to thank all the departments that were available to assist us with the retrieval of this body. The Msinga Fire Department, the Msinga South African Police Service (SAPS), search and rescue, and the community played a major role in finding these bodies. The search is continuing for the last body that we still do not have.”
The authorities remain hopeful that the remaining body will be found soon, highlighting the collaborative efforts in the recovery operation. This incident underscores the dangers posed by heavy rainfall in low-lying areas of the region.