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Vehicle Plunges into Crocodile River Near Mbombela; Two Bodies Recovered

Police have opened a culpable homicide probe to examine possible negligence and ordered further diving searches downstream to seek a possible third occupant.

Overview

  • Police and SAPS search-and-rescue teams recovered a submerged white vehicle from the Crocodile River after it left the road near the University of Mpumalanga–KaMagugu intersection.
  • The bodies of 21-year-old Godfrey Virgo and 20-year-old Tinswalo Khoza were pulled from the vehicle when it was recovered, authorities said.
  • A family later reported a son missing and possibly in the vehicle, prompting police to continue searches downstream and keep diving teams on alert.
  • Investigators opened a culpable homicide case to examine factors such as speed, visibility and road conditions as they work to establish how the vehicle travelled roughly 500 metres before entering the river.
  • Recovery and search efforts have been hampered by the river’s wildlife and submersion of the car, and police say further dives will proceed when conditions allow.