Edited by Bev Mortimer: The bodies of two men were recovered by the South African Police Service (SAPS) Search and Rescue Unit and other rescue teams after the truck, aka bakkie, they were in was swept off a flooded low-water bridge in Addo in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
The alleged driver and two passengers, aged between 34-59, in a white Toyota Hilux bakkie, allegedly became trapped and went missing in the river. Three other passengers were at the back of the bakkie that had no canopy.
Two of the men at the back reportedly managed to jump from the bakkie into the water and safely exit the river.
The SAPS says an inquest docket has been opened following the recovery of the deceased men. The SAPS was alerted at about 3.30 am on 5 June by a report that five Zimbabwean nationals had attempted to cross the Coerney River via the bridge.
A search and rescue operation was immediately launched, involving the combined rescue team of the SAPS Rescue Unit, the Sundays River Valley Municipality, and the EMS Rescue team. Two of the Zimbabweans were recovered from the river and declared dead by EMS.
The search for the missing 35 year-old, alleged driver of the bakkie continues. The SAPS says the investigation is ongoing.
Photos : SAPS
St Francis Chronicle 