Body of child pulled from Gqeberha's Swartkops River

CAPE TOWN - The body of a child has been pulled from the water near Gqeberha's Swartkops River Bridge.

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) says three children were playing in the water near the bridge when they got into some difficulty on Christmas Day.

Two of them managed to return to shore but their friend did not.

The NSRI's Craig Lambinon says that's when the alarm was raised. At the same time, the 

“NSRI Gqrberha towed an NSRI rescue craft to the scene while NSRI rescue swimmers, Coastal Water Rescue, Blue Water Bay lifeguards and an Inflatable Rescue Boat, the SA Police Services and Police K9 Search and Rescue, responded,” he explained.

“During the search, the body of the child was located and recovered from the water by police divers, sadly the child is deceased, the body of the child has been taken into care of government health forensic pathology services.”