ADDO – The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirms that an inquest docket has been opened following the recovery of two male bodies aged between 34 and 59 who went missing after the vehicle they were travelling in was swept off a flooded low-water bridge in Addo.
On Saturday, 6 June 2026, at approximately 03:30, police received a report that five Zimbabwean nationals, travelling in a white Toyota Hilux bakkie, attempted to cross the Coerney River via a low-water bridge along Slagboom Road in Addo. The bakkie was swept off the bridge and fell into the river.
It is alleged that three males (aged 34 to 50) were seated in the front of the vehicle, while two males aged (30 to 35) were seated in the rear load bed, which was not fitted with a canopy.
Upon entering the river, the three front occupants became trapped and subsequently went missing in the water. The two occupants on the rear load bed reportedly managed to jump from the vehicle and safely exit the water.
A search and rescue operation was immediately launched, involving the SAPS Search and Rescue Unit, the Sundays River Valley Local Municipality, and the EMS Rescue Team.
Two of the missing Zimbabwean nationals were recovered from the river and declared dead on the scene by EMS. The search for the missing alleged driver aged 35 of the Toyota Hilux bakkie continues.
The investigation is ongoing.