Africa-Press – South-Africa. Due to the continued heavy rain in Gauteng, Johannesburg’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has paused its search for the 3-month-old baby who was swept away by flash floods at Jukskei River.
It has been more than a week since the tragedy at the Jukskei River in Alexandra when congregants, who had gathered for a baptism ceremony on 3 December, were washed away.
Fifteen bodies have since been retrieved. The pastor has since fled over concerns for his safety and the body of the 3-month-old baby was still missing.
On Monday, the South African Weather Service warned of heavy rain that was expected to wreak more havoc in Gauteng and other parts of the country.
Forecaster Lulama Pheme said the expected rain would persist throughout Monday with possible damage to infrastructure, property and vehicles, and road flooding, including low-lying bridges.
Due to these wet conditions, the EMS had to put their search for the baby on hold.
EMS spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said, “If it is raining, we cannot search. Conducting the search in the rain will endanger the search team as they might be washed away by flash floods.”
Khumalo said the search would resume once the rain had stopped and the weather had cleared.
The team’s last search was conducted on Katherine Street and Grayston Drive in Sandton.
EMS spokesperson Nana Radebe said they visited the Jukskei River to monitor the water levels, given the current heavy rains, and the water did not yet pose any danger.
“The river levels were not bad when we checked earlier but we will continue to check all high-risk areas around the City of Joburg, this includes Soweto, Kliptown River and the Florida Lake,” Radebe said.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
