Girl, 9, drowns in Verulam river
KwaZulu-Natal paramedics are reporting that a nine-year-old girl drowned while swimming in a river near Oakford Priory in Verulam yesterday.
Reaction Unit South Africa spokesperson Prem Balram says that an emergency call was received shortly before 3pm.
"Members of Reaction Unit South Africa received a report of a child floating in a river near Oakford Priory. When paramedics arrived they were directed down a dusty road towards a wider part of a river leading to Hazelmere Dam.
"Paramedics found a 9-year-old girl lying on the river bank. She was declared deceased a few minutes later," Balram said.
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He says that, on questioning a group of children, they were informed that the girl got into difficulty while swimming.
"She then drowned while her friends ran to a nearby home to summon help. A worker at a nearby trucking company managed to pull the child out of the water nearly 30 minutes after she got into difficulty."
The depth of the river was estimated to be three metres at the point where the body was recovered.
(Photos: Reaction Unite SA)