Pretoria - City of Joburg’s Emergency Management Services (EMS) will this morning resume with its extensive search for members of a church who are still missing after the congregation was swept by the Jukskei River while performing a religious ritual.
“Today we will be resuming with our search along Jukskei (River), but that will depend on the weather conditions because yesterday we had to call off our search due to the risk of injury to our rescue workers,” Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi spoke to Newzroom Afrika.
“We had to stop that search at around 3 in the afternoon due to the severe thunderstorms which we had.”
At least 14 bodies of the worshippers have so far been recovered after the drowning incident, which took place on Saturday.
On Monday, Mulaudzi said on Saturday, one woman was rescued, and two bodies were recovered.
“On Saturday, we recovered two people (bodies), and one lady was rescued. She was taken to the nearest healthcare facility for further medical care, and yesterday (Sunday) between 8 in the morning and around 6 in the evening, we managed to recover about 12 bodies,” said Mulaudzi.
The twelve bodies recovered on Sunday brought the death toll to 14.
Mulaudzi said there are still families reporting that their loved ones are missing, with concerns that they could have been part of the congregation.
It emerged on Monday that considerable State and private sector resources had been marshalled for the rescue of survivors and the recovery of bodies after the church members were swept away by flash floods in the Jukskei River.
The “white garments” church members were allegedly holding a baptism ceremony in the river on Saturday when they were hit by the floods.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon said Netcare 911 ambulance services alerted their teammates in Gauteng to the tragedy after 4pm on Saturday.
“NSRI Gauteng, City of Johannesburg EMS, Gauteng Government Health EMS, Johannesburg Fire and Rescue Services from Sandton Fire Station, CPF Security, SAPS, police divers and the police K9 Search and Rescue (unit) responded to muster at Arkwright Avenue where a search commenced for what was believed to be 18 missing persons washed away by the fast-flowing Jukskei River,” said Lambinon.
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