Women’s body brings Jukskei drownings to 15

Search and rescue teams have recovered one more body after the Jukskei river tragedy that took place in Bramley Park on Saturday.

This brings the death toll to 15.

The female body was found at the Innisfree Park, Sandton, 3km away from where the incident took place.

The group were swept away during a spiritual ritual in the river. While officials were uncertain of the number of people who had attended the ritual, information given by families suggested that more than 15 people were swept away.

Johannesburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said rescuers were now searching for a three-month old infant.

“One of the three families that reported their loved one missing managed to find her amongst those who were previously recovered at the mortuary. Now that we have found one, we are only left with the three-month-old baby,” he said.

Baby Sinenhlanhla Renqe is said to be the youngest to have been swept away, along with her three-year-old sister, Elihle, and their grandmother. Her sister and grandmother’s bodies were identified on Monday.

Day five of the search saw teams of aquatic rescuers searching through various streams in the Sunninghill and Sandton areas, while another team used drones and a helicopter to search other streams in surrounding areas.

“Tomorrow  [today] morning we will resume the search for the baby. We are getting closer to giving all the families the closure that they need,” said Mulaudzi.

sibiyan@sowetan.co.za