Bronkhorstspruit Dam
Three people have died in a freak accident on the Bronkhorstspruit Dam after the pilot of their boat fell overboard.
Eddie dos Santos, 42, apparently lost control of his boat and fell overboard when he tried to turn too sharply to pick up his step daughter Claudia Barros-Botha, 25, and her husband Gawie Botha, 29, who had fallen off an inflatable chair.
The two youngsters who died in the accident were Ramon da Costa, 17, and his 16-year-old friend, Mikaela de Araujo. They’d apparently fallen off the boat.
The boat, which was going round incircles, hit dos Santos and the two youngsters.
Officials of the Catamaran Club rushed to the scene, but were only able to rescue the Bothas.
Dawn, the wife of dos Santos, collapsed when she was told of the tragedy. She could not believe he was dead and, cradling him in her arms, kep on shouting for him to wake up.
It was a terrible sight, according to Barry Page a safety officer at the dam.
Pilots of speed boats are supposed to have a cord attached to their life vest and to an emergency switch to prevent just such an accident from happening.
[Story by Fanie Van Rooyen appeared in Beeld and on News24.com]