A joint recovery mission is currently underway in Addo following a possible drowning incident that has claimed three lives after a vehicle plunged into a river over the weekend.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) Search and Rescue Unit, working in tandem with the Sundays River Valley Local Municipality Rescue Team, launched an official recovery operation on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 10:30 AM.
The formal operation was initiated after local residents, who had organized their own search along the waterway early that morning, made a tragic discovery. The community members located the body of the 35-year-old alleged driver, who had been missing since the crash.
The man’s remains were found amongst debris along the riverbank, approximately one kilometer away from the exact spot where his Toyota Hilux bakkie entered the water on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
The weekend incident initially claimed two lives on Saturday when the bakkie went into the river. Two other occupants of the vehicle, identified as Zimbabwean nationals, were pronounced dead at the scene that day.
With the recovery of the 35-year-old driver on Sunday, authorities have confirmed a total of three deaths connected to the accident. The joint municipal and police rescue teams remain on the ground as operations continue.