The death toll currently stands at 14, with the youngest victim being a three-month-old baby and the eldest a 60-year-old woman.
Search & rescue personnel on scene on 4 December 2022 after the Jukskei River floods claimed the lives of a number of people during a baptism ceremony on 3 December 2022. Picture: @ER24EMS/Twitter
JOHANNESBURG – Emergency teams searching for the remaining church members who were swept away by flash floods in the the Jukskei River have widened the search in the hope of recovering at least three more people.
A congregation of 33 people who gathered for what is thought to have been a baptism or cleansing ritual at the weekend were swept away when a strong current surged through.
The death toll currently stands at 14, with the youngest victim being a three-month-old baby and the eldest a 60-year-old woman.
Family members have been identifying their deceased loved ones.
Johannesburg Emergency Services rescue divers could be seen searching the shallow waters near 12th Avenue in Sandton, while another team combed through the reeds and mountains of litter along the banks of the river in the search for victims.
The operation is now a search and recovery rather than rescue mission.
Earlier, a helicopter with thermal imaging sensors joined the search and was hovering over the river.
There is also more movement in the flow of water in the Jukskei River following Monday’s heavy rains.
With search efforts now entering a fourth day, many are hoping the operations will bring closure to at least three other family members.
(function (d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s);
js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=259652954116494”;
//js.addEventListener(‘load’, function (e) {
// FB.Event.subscribe(‘edge.create’, function (response) {
// //console.log(‘fb recommend clicked’);
// _gaq.push([‘_trackEvent’, ‘ArticlePage’, ‘FacebookRecommendButtonClicked’, window.location.href]);
// });
//});
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
(function (d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
//js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.9&appId=259652954116494”;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v9.0&appId=259652954116494”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
