Police managed to rescue a woman from a flooded river in the Free State at the weekend. Photograph: The South African Files
RESCUE: Police dramatically pull woman alive from raging river
Police search and rescue teams rescued a woman from a flooded river that she had tried to cross in the Free State at the weekend.
Police managed to rescue a woman from a flooded river in the Free State at the weekend. Photograph: The South African Files
SAPS Search and Rescue divers dramatically rescued a woman from a raging river after she got swept away in a strong current and was able to clutch onto a branch to stop being completely submerged following the recent heavy rains.
Freestate SAPS regional spokesperson, Captain Stephen Thakeng, said that divers from the Welkom, Bloemfontein, Sasolburg, and Welkom K9 Search and Rescue Team were mobilised to the scene after 26-year-old, Nnana Mafa, was swept away in the strong river current after heavy rains.
“The team was mobilised when a woman was trying to cross the river with a strong current that swept her away,” Thakeng said.
“Apparently she was trying to cross the river on her way to Delpoort farm,” he said.
Police rescue woman from flooded river
Thakeng said that the woman had managed to grab and hold onto a branch until the rescue workers reached her and skillfully pulled her out of the river. The incident occurred on the night of 16 December 2021 at around 23:30.
“The water levels of the river were rising, caused by heavy rains but members managed to rescue the victim from the river,” he said.
Thakeng warned residents not to allow their children to swim in the large water puddles that had accumulated as a result of the heavy rains in the region.
He urged parents to know the whereabouts of their children at all times during the holidays and to discourage them from swimming to avoid the risk of drowning.
Meanwhile in KwaZulu-Natal, the eThekwini Municipality has assisted scores of families from Ntuzuma to start the difficult task of rebuilding their homes which were damaged in the devastating storm that hit the city last week.
The city will spend an estimated R19.7 million on rebuilding and repairing the severely damaged infrastructure for 130 families. About 250 families were hard-hit by the storm in nine of the municipality’s wards.
