Online Reporter
George Maponga
Masvingo Bureau
A 20-year-old breastfeeding Chiredzi woman and her two juvenile sisters spent more than 20 hours marooned on an island along the flooded Runde River on Sunday.
The woman, Linda Zvamunoda of Musengi village under Chief Masivamele, together with her child and two young sisters aged nine and 10 years, were rescued today mid-morning after being marooned around 2 pm on Sunday.
The four spent more than 20 hours surrounded by roaring Runde River floods until they were rescued by a combined team from Gonarezhou National Park, Tongaat Huletts Fire Brigade and the local community.
Masvingo provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa, said the four were successfully rescued after spending the night on the island along the Runde River.
“The four people who were marooned around 2pm on Sunday were rescued around 10.30 am today and they are all safe. Noone was injured or hospitalised.”
Inspector Dhewa said a manned boat travelled over 3 km to the island to rescue the marooned family and take them ashore.
“The police were unable to locate the family after initially going to rescue them on Sunday, resulting in teams from Zimparks and Tongaat coming in with a boat,” he said.
Bad weather also frustrated efforts to bring an Airforce of Zimbabwe helicopter to rescue the family.
It is suspected that the marooned family stayed close to the Runde River, where they were practising riverbed gold panning.
