Publications
- A joint effort by emergency services led to the recovery of a man swept away by a river.
- The man's body was recovered the day after he disappeared.
- Two of his male friends claimed they managed to survive.
The City of Tshwane's Emergency Services urged people to avoid bridges during the rainy season after the recovery of a body of a man who drowned in a river.
The body was recovered on Saturday evening and has yet to be identified.
The man disappeared after he and two friends were swept away on Friday.
A spokesperson for the emergency Services, Charles Mabaso, said they received a call on Saturday afternoon that three men had been swept away by the Apies River, near the Pretoria Zoo.
The men were swept away a day after some heavy rain and storms in the area.
Mabaso said the Bosman and Innesdale fire stations were dispatched to the incident.
"Upon arrival at the scene, two men claimed they had been swept away by the river the previous day. They claimed they had managed to escape, but their male friend could not.
"While searching for the third male, the SAPS Diving Unit assisted with recovering the body of a man that was spotted floating in the Apies River under a bridge on the K8 Rosslyn Road."
Mabaso said staff from Innesdale were then diverted to the K8 bridge.
READ | Rivers, dams pose biggest risk for drowning, NSRI research shows
Rescue technicians from the City of Tshwane worked with the SAPS Diving Unit to recover the body from the river.
"The description of the recovered body was shared with the firefighters, who were still at the scene with the other two men. The men confirmed that the recovered body was that of their friend.
"We advise people to avoid bridges over rivers and the rivers themselves when it rains. They must also be careful of stormwater systems that carry a lot of water into rivers, causing the water levels to rise rapidly without warning."
Police are investigating the incident.
