Fifth Body Found After Vehicle Swept Away at uMsinga Bridge
- The death toll in the uMsinga flood tragedy has risen to five after another body was recovered on Sunday
- Six people were swept away when their vehicle attempted to cross the flooded Imfenebude Bridge on Thursday evening
- Search and rescue teams are continuing operations to find the last remaining missing person
Source: Facebook
KWAZULU NATAL —The death toll from the uMsinga flood tragedy has risen to five after another body was recovered on Sunday.
The victims were swept away on Thursday evening when a vehicle carrying eight people attempted to cross the Imfenebude Bridge and was overwhelmed by rising floodwaters. Two people managed to escape.
According to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), the fifth victim’s body was found in the eNhlonga area in Ward 13 of the uMsinga Local Municipality.
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Emergency teams work to search for the missing
Search and recovery operations continued on Monday for the last remaining missing person.
Cogta said disaster management teams have deployed drones to help search areas that are difficult to access along rivers that feed into the uThukela River.
The operation involves a multidisciplinary team including the police search and rescue unit, as well as disaster management teams from the uMsinga and uMvoti local municipalities, working under the supervision of the KZN Provincial Disaster Management Centre.
Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi commended the search and rescue teams for their dedication and professionalism while operating in challenging conditions across multiple municipal areas.
More on the accident
According to reports, the incident occurred shortly after 7 pm when a vehicle carrying eight people attempted to cross the flooded Infenebude Bridge on the P17 road in eMabovini. The low-lying bridge had been submerged due to heavy rainfall, which the South African Weather Service (SAWS) had warned would persist until the weekend of 8 March. Two occupants managed to escape and swim to safety, while the remaining six passengers were unaccounted for when disaster management teams began search and rescue operations.
Search operation uncovered three bodies on Saturday
Three bodies had already been recovered from the Tugela River in the Msinga area on Saturday morning, 7 March 2026. Several people remain missing. were reported missing then. The vehicle was carrying eight occupants when it was washed off a low-lying bridge during the storm. Two people managed to escape before the vehicle was swept away by the swollen river, while the others were carried downstream.
Source: Facebook
Three articles on similar incidents
Briefly News reported that Emergency services continued their search for Sisanda Baloyi, who was swept away in a village in Giyani in early January. Two occupants of a bakkie, which was found at Tswinga village near Thohoyandou, are still missing. Their vehicle was swept away while they were trying to cross a low-lying bridge.
Tragedy struck the Mnisi family in White River on 13 January 2026, when two-year-old Sibusiso Mnisi drowned in the Msholozi C stream. A two-year-old drowned in White River. Unbeknownst to the mother, the toddler followed her outside and attempted to cross the stream alone. He was reportedly swept away by the strong current.
The City of Tshwane Emergency Services have recovered the bodies of two people whose vehicle was swept away. The incident follows heavy downpours on Sunday, 21 December 2025, that led to rising water levels and strong currents.
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Source: Briefly News
