International
Body of missing South African boy found in crocodile- infested river
The body of a 10-year-old boy who was declared missing after going for swimming has been found by fishermen in crocodile-infested water in South Africa.
The Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) said in a statement on Tuesday that the boy identified as Cyamtanda Sibisi had gone swimming with friends when he was swept downstream in the Tugela River of the KwaZulu-Natal province on January 9.
The statement read:“Residents combed the area for a week along the river banks searching for the boy. Days later, fishermen in the area reported seeing a child’s body floating in the water.
“They did not enter the water fearing for their safety as that part of the river is known to be infested with crocodiles.”
READ ALSO: South Africa bans preaching, gambling, inside new trains
The agency, according to the statement, was notified by the parents of the boy who was a pupil at Ubuhlebesumbili Primary School and immediately deployed a crew in a helicopter on a rescue mission.
“On Monday January 16, 2023, the family made contact with Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) seeking assistance. The pilot and crew kitted up with floatation devices and flew 84 kms out to the Tugela River.
“After a briefing with the family, the aircraft conducted a low-level search of several kilometres of the river. The crew spotted a huge crocodile in the water and opted to land in the vicinity and search an island on foot,” it added.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
German Police bust alleged Nigerian scam dating ring
German authorities have arrested eleven individuals suspected of being members of a Nigerian mafia group involved in a large-scale dating...
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...