A 5-YEAR-OLD girl drowned while her mother was bathing in the Mvoti River in Damascus on Sunday afternoon.

The girl was alleged to have come to the river with her mother who was washing clothes when she jumped into the river where she was playing.

Police dog unit and paramedics reportedly arrived at the scene in search of the body of the deceased, which was found not far from where she was playing.

Paul Herbst of IPSS Medical Rescue, said their team was forced to use boats and a camera and fly machine over the area where the deceased had disappeared while on the ground searching for her body.

“We found the baby’s body in the river where it sank to the deeper part of the river. We warn the public to be careful at all times when they are near water bodies, ” said Herbst.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala confirmed the incident.

“A file has been opened for the case, at the Glendale police station, investigating,  will follow immediately, said Capt Gwala.