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Man drowns near local restaurant at Witbank Dam

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A  35-year-old man drowned at the Witbank Dam on Saturday. (Supplied/NSIR)
A 35-year-old man drowned at the Witbank Dam on Saturday. (Supplied/NSIR)
  • A man drowned after he seemingly fell off rocks into the water at Witbank Dam, Mpumalanga.
  • Emergency responders were called to the scene after the man did not surface.
  • His body was recovered at a depth of approximately six metres.

A 35-year-old Witbank man drowned after seemingly falling off rocks into the water near a local restaurant at Witbank Dam in Mpumalanga on Saturday.

Emergency personnel including police and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), were called to the scene after the man failed to surface.

NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said when the NSRI arrived at the scene, eyewitnesses claimed the man may have jumped from a diving platform into the water where he had not surfaced.

"Police divers were deployed into the water from our NSRI rescue craft and during a scuba-dive search the body of the man was located and recovered onto our NSRI rescue craft by the police divers," said Lambinon.

READ | Law firm given 7 days to conclude probe into drowning of Gauteng pupils at school camp

His body was recovered by police divers at a depth of approximately six metres.

He was declared deceased by paramedics.

"The body of the man was transported, aboard our NSRI rescue craft [and] in the care of police divers and NSRI crew, to the Witbank Yacht and Aquatic Club where police and government health forensics pathology services took the body of the man into their care."

Police have opened an inquest docket.

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