Schoolgirl drowns in flooded Makhanda river

The South African Police Service has opened an Inquest following the drowning of a schoolgirl in the Matyana River in Makhanda yesterday.

Spokesperson Captain Marius McCarthy said the child had been returning home to Xolani Location in Joza from Mary Waters Senior Secondary School on Tuesday February 24.

The 14-year-old girl, who had been walking home with other learners, was crossing the Matyana River when she slipped and fell into the fast-flowing stream. The river had burst its banks due to heavy rain in the area that day.

:”A search for the missing girl was immediately launched by SAPS and the local community,” McCarthy said. “On Tuesday February 2 at about 10am, SAPS Search and Research Unit and SAPS Airwing, supported by the local community discovered [her] lifeless body.”