At least 14 bodies have been recovered as authorities continue to comb through the Sands River which runs through the Leeuwkop Correctional Centre in Johannesburg.
JOHANNESBURG – The search-and-recovery operation for the bodies of a group of congregants who drowned during a baptism has entered its fifth day.
Authorities have been combing through the Sands River which runs through the Leeuwkop Correctional Centre in Johannesburg.
At least 14 bodies were recovered from the Jukskei River this week after a torrent swept away worshippers during the church ceremony at the weekend.
Johannesburg Emergency Services (EMS) said a three-month-old baby is among three people still missing or presumed dead.
READ: Joburg Emergency Services lose contact with pastor who held baptism on Jukskei
A group of 33 worshippers had joined the baptism on the banks of the Jukskei River when the flood struck.
Five days later, only 14 bodies have been recovered.
Geared with life jackets and helmets, divers have had to navigate the long grass of the wide river which joins the Jukskei.
Search and rescue efforts were again halted on Tuesday after heavy downpours lashed parts of Gauteng, prompting EMS teams to be on high alert.
Speaking to Eyewitness News on the side-lines, rescue divers said they will not rest until the bodies of the church members have been recovered.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
