Flash Flood Kills Nine At A Church Gathering In South Africa

Rescue workers in South Africa said that eight more people are still missing and at least nine people have perished when a flash flood carried away members of a church congregation along the Jukskei River in Johannesburg.

According to officials, the community was performing religious rites by the river on Saturday when the dead and missing all belonged to it.

When the search and recovery effort was restarted on Sunday morning, rescuers reported finding the bodies of two fatalities on that day in addition to another seven bodies.

To determine how many more persons were missing, the teams were interrogating members of the congregation.

Baptisms and ritual purifications are commonly held along the Jukskei River, which flows past townships like Alexandra in the east of Johannesburg.

Robert Mulaudzi, a spokesman for Johannesburg Emergency Services, stated on Sunday that authorities had informed locals about the risks associated with performing the ceremonies near the river.

“We have been receiving a lot of rain in the city of Johannesburg in the last three months, and most of the river streams are now full. Our residents, especially congregants who normally practice these kinds of rituals, will be tempted to go to these river streams,” Mulaudzi said during a news briefing.

“Our message for them is to exercise caution as and when they conduct these rituals,” he added.

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