The identity of a teen who slept and fell into the Paddavlei section of Klip River stream at Kliptown, Soweto, on Tuesday afternoon has not yet been determined.
The body was recovered on Wednesday by City of Joburg’s Aquatic Rescue Services Unit, the Joburg Emergency Management Services and the SAPS Water Wing who were leading the search for the 18-year-old boy.
Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said the boy was swept away on Tuesday afternoon.
The body will be handed over to the SAPS for further investigations, he said.
“We are pleading with residents to continue to look after young children and themselves to stay away from river streams since the water levels are higher due to the rain ... so that we can be able to prevent incidents like this,” said Mulaudzi.
A Forensic Pathology Services team transported the body to the government mortuary.
Police have urged anyone who has a missing family member to come forward.
The Joburg EMS said earlier that day the search for the teen had to be called off on Tuesday night for safety reasons and said the search had resumed on Wednesday morning at 8am.
The incident follows a thunderous hail storm on Monday night which caused extensive damage to cars, homes and infrastructure.
According to the National Sea Rescue Institute, no person should drown, yet, in South Africa, 29% of fatal drownings are children under 14 years of age.
Just In: Kliptown drowning. A youth fell into the Padavlei section of the Klipriver stream at Kliptown on Tuesday afternoon. His body was recovered today following a 3-hour search. His identity has not been made known yet.
Picture/Video: Timothy Bernard Independent Newspapers pic.twitter.com/YO1t91dTb0
The NSRI recently said it is committed to being at the forefront of reaching as many people as possible with its Drowning Prevention initiatives.
The NSRI said on average there are approximately 1 484 drownings in South Africa annually, of which 29% (450) occur among children under 14 years. | Additional reporting by Sihle Mlambo
The Star