Cops broke into dead tourists' car
2007-09-26 14:47
Johannesburg - Police are attempting to find a Port Elizabeth family believed to be relatives of a Canadian couple who were found burnt to death in KwaZulu-Natal's northern Drakensberg Mountains on Wednesday morning.
"We are now trying to summon the couple's relatives who are apparently living in Port Elizabeth. Once they have been contacted, we want them to come to KZN and identify the bodies," KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Superintendent Muzi Mngomezulu said.
The two are believed to have died in a veld fire while on a walk last Thursday but this has not yet been confirmed.
They were found 8km away from the Thendele Royal National Park in Bergville.
The couple had arrived a little early for their booking so decided to take a walk while they waited for their accommodation to become available.
The alarm was sounded when their vehicle was spotted in the Thendela premises on Monday and a search party was sent out.
After an intensive search deep within the mountains, the husband and wife were found. They had been burnt to death.
Police then broke into the couple's vehicle to find contact details for their families.
Mngomezulu said on the same Thursday, a veld fire had ravaged parts of the national park.
"The fire was blown into the park area and trees and other greenery was destroyed".
The identity of the couple has been withheld until their families have been informed.
- SAPA