Four young boys went missing, presumed drowned, while fishing in the Orange River near Aliwal North on Monday afternoon.
Police said the four friends, aged between seven and 14, all lived close to the river.
Aliwal North police spokeswoman warrant officer Cynthia Handile said the Maletswai police station had received a report about at about 12.45pm on Monday.
“Police divers were dispatched to the scene immediately after receiving the report. When they arrived at the river, community members and the families of the four boys had already gathered at the banks of the river.”
Handile said according to a group of children who witnessed the incident, one of the four boys had gone into the river first, and when he got into trouble in deep water and started to struggle, his three friends jumped in to help. Then all four disappeared under the surface.
“The group of children who witnessed this ran to the nearest house to report the incident,” said Handile.
After hours of searching for the boys on Monday, the search was called off for the day.
“The divers searched for the boys until late in the evening on Monday and the search continued on Tuesday ,” said Handile, adding that divers from the Queenstown, Cradock and East London SAPS diving units and members of the K9 search and rescue unit were called to the scene to assist with the search.
The boys had still not been found at the time of writing yesterday.
Handile said the incident came a month after a 13-year-old boy disappeared in the river.
“ at the beginning of December. It is still not clear whether he was swimming or fishing when the incident occurred,” she said, adding his body had still not been recovered.
This incident brings to 15 the number of people known to have disappeared or drowned in the past two months. On December 4, two British volunteer health workers died when they were swept out to sea while swimming at Woody Cape on the Sunshine Coast.
Two days later, two friends drowned while they were surfing at Coffee Bay.
On December 11, two men drowned at Glen Eden Beach and a week later a 12-year-old Mdantsane boy drowned at Eastern Beach while swimming unsupervised.
On December 18, two brothers drowned while trying to cross the strongly flowing Tsitsa River in Qumbu.
On January 10, a nine-year-old boy drowned in a dam in Tamara near King William’s Town. — arethal@dispatch.co.za
Boys drown in Orange River outing
Police said the four friends, aged between seven and 14, all lived close to the river.
Aliwal North police spokeswoman warrant officer Cynthia Handile said the Maletswai police station had received a report about at about 12.45pm on Monday.
“Police divers were dispatched to the scene immediately after receiving the report. When they arrived at the river, community members and the families of the four boys had already gathered at the banks of the river.”
Handile said according to a group of children who witnessed the incident, one of the four boys had gone into the river first, and when he got into trouble in deep water and started to struggle, his three friends jumped in to help. Then all four disappeared under the surface.
“The group of children who witnessed this ran to the nearest house to report the incident,” said Handile.
After hours of searching for the boys on Monday, the search was called off for the day.
“The divers searched for the boys until late in the evening on Monday and the search continued on Tuesday ,” said Handile, adding that divers from the Queenstown, Cradock and East London SAPS diving units and members of the K9 search and rescue unit were called to the scene to assist with the search.
The boys had still not been found at the time of writing yesterday.
Handile said the incident came a month after a 13-year-old boy disappeared in the river.
“ at the beginning of December. It is still not clear whether he was swimming or fishing when the incident occurred,” she said, adding his body had still not been recovered.
This incident brings to 15 the number of people known to have disappeared or drowned in the past two months. On December 4, two British volunteer health workers died when they were swept out to sea while swimming at Woody Cape on the Sunshine Coast.
Two days later, two friends drowned while they were surfing at Coffee Bay.
On December 11, two men drowned at Glen Eden Beach and a week later a 12-year-old Mdantsane boy drowned at Eastern Beach while swimming unsupervised.
On December 18, two brothers drowned while trying to cross the strongly flowing Tsitsa River in Qumbu.
On January 10, a nine-year-old boy drowned in a dam in Tamara near King William’s Town. — arethal@dispatch.co.za
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