2 teen cousins drown while washing laundry

Police in Mpumalanga have opened an inquest docket after two girls, aged 15 and 18, reportedly drowned in the Mabulala dam, where they were washing laundry.

Police said the two girls, who were cousins, were with friends at the dam near White River. They were washing clothes, when one of the girls slipped and fell in.

The other teenager tried to save her cousin when she fell into the dam as well.

‘Called for help’

“The other friends then tried to pull them out of the dam, but all their efforts were unsuccessful,” police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said in a statement.

“They then called for help, where police as well as the diving unit were summoned to the scene. However, upon arrival, the girls were certified dead on the scene by medical personnel.”

An inquest docket has been opened and is being investigated by police.

Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Mondli Zuma said it was heartbreaking that the lives of two young girls were cut short, especially during the celebration of Youth Month.

Zuma added that the community should exercise extra caution when making use of rivers and dams.

NEWS24