Cape Town - THE search for missing hiker Michael Riley ended in tragedy after his body was found in the Silvermine dam at the weekend.
Riley, 69, a regular hiker, went missing last Sunday.
Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) rangers and search-and-rescue teams closed off the area last week as they looked for him.
His body was discovered in the Silvermine dam on Saturday.
TMNP manager Frans van Rooyen said: “The discovery follows a week-long search of a reported missing 69-year-old man whose vehicle was discovered in the Silvermine parking area on Sunday, March 21.”
He said the family had positively identified Riley’s body.
"The family confirmed that it is indeed the body of Mr (Riley) who has been missing for a week. We would like to express our sincere condolences to the family during this difficult time.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the TMNP Rangers including SAPS diving unit, metro rescue unit, City of Cape Town fire department diving unit and Working on Fire (WOF) team for their dedication and hard work during this time as they started the search operation on Monday, after the missing person was reported on Sunday evening.’’
WOF had deployed six firefighters to assist with the search and the Wilderness Search and Rescue deployed officers with K9 unit dogs to assist in locating Riley.
Van Rooyen said that an announcement would be made about when the dam would be reopened to the public.
Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said an inquest was registered at the Kirstenhof police station on Saturday morning after a body was discovered in the Silvermine dam at around 8.45am.
“The identity of the man, who is believed to have drowned, cannot be disclosed by SAPS at this stage,” Traut said.
Cape Times