“On arrival, two males reported they had been swept away by the river the previous day and had managed to escape, while the third male could not escape. While searching for the third male, the SA Police Service 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),” he said.
Mabaso said the personnel from Innesdale fire station were then diverted to the K8 bridge where rescue technicians from the city worked with the SAPS diving unit to recover the body from the river.
“A description of the recovered body was shared with the firefighters who were still at the scene with the other two men near the Pretoria Zoo. The men confirmed that the recovered body was that of their friend who had been swept away the previous day,” he said.
Mabaso has advised people to avoid rivers and bridges over water when it is raining.
“It may be raining upstream, which causes the water levels to swell without any warning. The stormwater systems may carry a lot of water into rivers, which may cause the water levels to rise rapidly and without warning,” he said.
TimesLIVE
Body of man recovered after being swept away by Apies River after storms
Image: Supplied: Tshwane Emergency Service Department
A body of a man has been recovered in Pretoria North a day after he was swept away by the Apies river after storms.
The body was spotted floating in the river under a bridge on Rosslyn Road.
Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Charles Mabaso said the man's drowning is being investigated by police .
Mabaso said emergency services received a call at about 4.50pm on Saturday that three men had been swept away by the Apies river near the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (Pretoria Zoo) after storms the previous day.
He said personnel from the Bosman and Innesdale fire stations were dispatched to the scene.
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“On arrival, two males reported they had been swept away by the river the previous day and had managed to escape, while the third male could not escape. While searching for the third male, the SA Police Service 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),” he said.
Mabaso said the personnel from Innesdale fire station were then diverted to the K8 bridge where rescue technicians from the city worked with the SAPS diving unit to recover the body from the river.
“A description of the recovered body was shared with the firefighters who were still at the scene with the other two men near the Pretoria Zoo. The men confirmed that the recovered body was that of their friend who had been swept away the previous day,” he said.
Mabaso has advised people to avoid rivers and bridges over water when it is raining.
“It may be raining upstream, which causes the water levels to swell without any warning. The stormwater systems may carry a lot of water into rivers, which may cause the water levels to rise rapidly and without warning,” he said.
TimesLIVE
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