Search Efforts for 3-Year-Old Girl Delayed by Bad Weather After Tragic N4 Accident

• Harsh weather conditions hinder the search for the three-year-old girl who went missing on Sunday afternoon
• The girl went missing in the Crocodile River after a horrific accident occurred on the N4 near Schagen
• She was one of seven passengers on a bakkie returning home from a funeral in Marite when tragedy struck

Unfavourable weather conditions have halted the search for three-year-old Aqhama Mnconywa’s body. This comes after the little girl, along with six other passengers, was involved in a horrific vehicle accident on Sunday afternoon, 13 April 2025.

How did the accident happen?

The accident occurred after its front left tyre burst, causing the driver to lose control and crash into the kerb of the bridge. The horrific accident on the N4 near Schagen, en route to Gauteng, flung the seven passengers from the back of the bakkie. The group was travelling home from a funeral in Marite.

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When the bakkie hit the kerb, its canopy came loose and has yet to be recovered. The impact flung all seven passengers seated at the back into the nearby river and surrounding bushes. Three people lost their lives in the accident, and three others survived.

Among the three bodies recovered was that of the girl's mother, Akhona, found on a boulder in the river. The body of an eight-year-old boy was discovered beneath the bridge, while another woman, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, was found in the nearby bushes.

Three survivors, a mother and her two sons, were rescued and taken to the hospital by Emer-G-Med. The driver and front passenger, whose identities have not yet been confirmed, escaped without injury.

It is alleged that people recounted a tense altercation between the driver and front passenger following the crash. The driver angrily accused the passenger of grabbing the steering wheel when the tyre burst, suggesting it may have contributed to the accident.

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The search continues

According to the Citizen, police in Mpumalanga confirmed that the search-and-rescue team, along with divers and drones, have been working since Sunday evening. The K9 unit was sent on Tuesday, 15 April, and the search operation is being carried out by members of the Ehlanzeni Police Diving Unit, along with the provincial SAPS Operation Vala Umgodi Unit.

Due to Mpumalanga SAPS having only one operational helicopter, which was in for servicing, rescuers had to request help from Johannesburg. The chopper never arrived as expected, as bad weather hampered its deployment and further complicated the search.

Family friends, who held the funeral in Marite on Saturday, 12 April, have also been assisting in the ongoing search efforts. It is believed that the little girl may still be trapped under the missing canopy, which was swept away when it fell into the fast-flowing river.

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The helicopter is only expected to fly down to the Lowveld on Saturday, 19 April, when weather conditions are expected to improve. In the meantime, the search team continues its efforts on foot.

CCTV footage sparks hope that missing Joslin Smith is alive

Facebook user Greg Wells-Clifton believes he is getting closer to locating seven-year-old Joslin Smith, who went missing from Saldanha Bay over a year ago.

Joslin was last seen on 19 February 2024. According to Wells-Clifton, individuals close to the child have confirmed that she appears to be the girl captured in recent CCTV footage.

Source: Briefly News