Four Dead as Vehicle Swept Away by Flooded Bridge in Limpopo

• Four people have died after a vehicle was swept away while attempting to cross an overflowing bridge in Limpopo
• Police say five occupants were travelling in the car when it overturned in the strong current, with one person managing to escape and alert authorities
• The tragedy marks the second similar flood-related incident this week, prompting authorities to warn motorists not to cross flooded bridges amid heavy rains

LIMPOPO – Police in Limpopo have recovered the bodies of four people after their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters while attempting to cross an overflowing bridge over the Makotopong River, between Madiga and Makotopong villages, near Polokwane.

This is the second incident of its kind this week, after a vehicle was swept away in uMsinga, leaving six people dead, highlighting the growing dangers of attempting to cross flooded roads and bridges during heavy rains.

What happened?

The tragedy occurred on Sunday morning, 9 March 2026, when a blue Renault Kwid carrying five passengers attempted to navigate the low-lying gravel bridge. The vehicle overturned in the strong current, sweeping four occupants into the river. One passenger managed to escape and immediately alerted authorities.

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A coordinated two-day operation involving the SAPS Water Wing Unit and emergency services successfully recovered the submerged vehicle and the bodies of two men and two women.

Police have opened an inquest docket, and investigations into the incident are continuing. Authorities have warned motorists to exercise extreme caution and avoid crossing flooded bridges, as heavy rains have caused widespread flooding across parts of Limpopo this week.

Vehicle swept away by flood in Umsinga

Earlier in the week, a flooded bridge swept away a vehicle carrying eight people in the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal on 5 March 2026. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) dispatched disaster management teams to search for the occupants of a vehicle which was swept away in uMsinga, KwaZulu-Natal, on 6 March 2026.

According to reports, the incident happened after 7 pm when the vehicle, which carried eight people, was trying to cross the Infenebude Bridge on the P17 road in eMabovini. The low-lying bridge was flooded due to the heavy rainfall, which the South African Weather Service (SAWS) warned would continue until the weekend of 8 March. Two occupants managed to escape and swim to safety. The remaining six were unaccounted for when the disaster management team commenced their search.

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Fifth body found after vehicle swept away at uMsinga bridge

Another body was recovered in the uMsinga incident

The death toll in the uMsinga flood tragedy has risen to five after another body was recovered on Sunday, 8 March 2026. Another body was recovered on Monday, 9 March 2026. 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. Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi commended the search and rescue teams for their dedication and professionalism while operating in challenging conditions across multiple municipal areas.

Briefly News also reported that two bodies were recovered after a vehicle was swept away during severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall in Tshwane on 21 December 2025. The search operation began shortly after authorities were alerted to the incident and continued until Tuesday afternoon, 23 December 2025. Emergency services spokesperson Nana-Radebe-Kgiba said rescuers were deployed after the vehicle’s last known position was identified near a low-lying bridge along the Hennops River in Centurion.

Source: Briefly News