DURBAN – The body of a three-year-old boy was found along the Mona River in Ndwedwe after he went missing while his father was washing his vehicle by the river yesterday.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said police responded to a complaint of a drowning by a low level bridge over the Mona River yesterday.
“It is alleged by the complainant that whilst he was washing his vehicle near the river, his three-year-old son was playing not too far from him.
“He went around the vehicle to wash the other side of the car and when he returned the boy was gone and his toy was seen floating down stream,” she said.
Mbele said the boy was found by a joint Search and Rescue team.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) said a resident contacted the company requesting assistance after they failed to locate the child who was standing on the edge of the river while his father washed his Toyota Fortuner.
“Reaction Officers were dispatched to the location and on arrival met with the father of the boy who explained that the child was standing next to the vehicle which was parked on the edge of the river. He was busy washing his vehicle when he lost sight of the child,” said Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram.
He said SAPS K9 Search and Rescue Unit searched for the child.
“The child’s body was discovered by his family in the dense vegetation along the river bank,” Rusa said in an update last night.
Police said an inquest case was opened at Ndwedwe SAPS.
“Communities are reminded to always take care when in or around water, especially with children,” said Mbele.
THE MERCURY