A view of Herold’s Bay, South Africa, from a lookout point south-west of the town – Image via Wikimedia Commons / JP Meijers
Voëlklip tragedy: Body of toddler involved in crash reportedly found
An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
A view of Herold’s Bay, South Africa, from a lookout point south-west of the town – Image via Wikimedia Commons / JP Meijers
Authorities believe they may have found the body of a two-year-old toddler killed in an accident when a vehicle plunged off cliffs on Voëlklip Road in Herolds Bay, George on 21 January 2021.
Voëlklip crash: What we know
The incident on 21 January
The child was in the car with her mother when the vehicle plunged into the sea. Her brother managed to escape and sustained only minor injuries. The mother’s body was found the following day.
At the time, Communication Officer Deanna Bessick said the “vehicle was travelling in rolled and crashed into the ocean while driving along the R404 on Voëlklip road in Herolds Bay, George […] 12:30 on 21 January 2021”.
Bessick confirmed that the boy required medical attention. It was later reported that the boy allegedly said his mother “did not want to live anymore” and had deliberately driven over the edge of the cliff.
Body of toddler found by fisherman
According to SABC Western Cape, the body was found by a fisherman earlier this week when he spotted it floating between Swartvlei and Kleinkrantz. He reported it to authorities immediately.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said members of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) “retrieved the body and handed it over to forensic pathology services of George”. Pojie explained:
“An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. At this stage, the body is in an advanced state of decomposition and cannot be recognised. However, a description of the clothing gives us reason to believe it might be great two-year-old”.
According to Pojie, the child’s parent has been informed, and DNA testing will be now done to determine the two-year-old’s identity.
Voëlklip Road: Cliffs of death
Herold’s Bay is a settlement of the Garden Route District Municipality in the Western Cape and Voëlklip Road is notorious for motor vehicle accidents and deaths over the past several years.
In 2015, a 38-year-old man was swept off the rocks while fishing. A few days later, three students died when their vehicle plunged off the cliff; only two bodies were found.
Later that year, 15-year-old Josh Allpass and 14-year-old Warren Dickson were also swept away while fishing. In 2016, a 62-year-old man died when his vehicle went over the cliffs.
Then in October 2019, Heidi Scheepers and her two children fell from the viewpoint in their car at the exact spot where three teenagers plunged down in 2015. Later that year, the cliffs claimed a 52-year-old woman as well.
A man believed to be in his 40s was killed when his car plunged down the cliff on Voëlklip Road on Wednesday 29 January 2020. The Red Cross AMS helicopter was called to the scene to airlift the body to the roadside.
