A search for a toddler ends in tears as the girl’s tiny body was found in a cattle dip near her home in Ndwedwe, KZN.
The lifeless body of a five-year-old girl was retrieved from a cattle dip by Reaction Officers in Ntapuka, Ndwedwe, on Friday, 22 August.
Photo Supplied: Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA)
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesman Prem Balram said their Operations Centre received a distress call from a resident reporting that the kid had been missing since 12pm after playing near the dip with friends.
Despite efforts by residents, the young girl could not be located.
“A team of Reaction Unit officers and paramedics were immediately dispatched to the scene.”
“First responders had to abandon their vehicles nearly 1km away due to the rough terrain. Upon arrival, officers retrieved the kid’s lifeless body,” he said.
Photo Supplied: Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA)
He said family members revealed that the dip was constructed by the community and contained a combination of chemicals and pesticides used for dipping cattle. It is regularly used by local residents for livestock maintenance.
“It was alleged that the girl, accompanied by two friends, ventured near the dip and descended the stairs leading into it.”
“It remains unclear whether she accidentally slipped or encountered difficulties that prevented her from climbing back to safety. Her friends quickly alerted community members, sparking an urgent search effort,” he said.
Photo Supplied: Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA)
Balram said they drained half the chemical mixture from the dip, but were still unable to locate the minor.
KZN police spokesman Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that police in Ndwedwe have opened an inquest docket for investigation following an incident in which a five-year-old girl was walking with other kids along a cattle dipping area when she reportedly fell into the dip and drowned.
