Durban pharmacist's desperate SOS to husband as her vehicle sank in a river

WITH what was possibly her last breath, a desperate Durban pharmacist reached out to her husband with a telephone call and only managed to deliver a brief message about the difficulty she had landed in.

“I’m in the river…” was all that Vanitha Jeawon, 54, was able to say in her SOS to her husband Romy before the line dropped on Thursday. 

She was laid to rest on Sunday.

Jeawon, a mother of twin daughters aged 14, was driving to her home in Northdene, Queensburgh from her workplace in Hillcrest when her car got swept off Heaton Nicholls Drive in the Pinetown area.

She worked as a pharmacist at a Clicks branch in Hillcrest.

The vehicle got carried into the raging Umbilo River.

Heavy rain during the course of Thursday and Friday overwhelmed rivers and infrastructure, causing localised flooding in various parts of Durban and surrounding areas.

Jeawon’s call to Romy around 6.30pm sparked a massive search and rescue mission, which included teams from Mobi-Claw 911, IPSS, ER24 and the eThekwini Fire Department.

Some residents living in close proximity to the river also heard her screams of desperation as the Umbilo River overpowered the Suzuki Breeza she drove.

Wynand Laatz, Mobi Claw’s operations director, said they received a call from a Pinetown neighbourhood watch about a vehicle swept off a bridge, and a team of volunteers from their rescue support services team was despatched.

Laatz said when they arrived at the Nelson Road meeting point, the scene was “frantic” and they began to coordinate the search and rescue mission.

They entered backyards of various residential properties along the river, attempting to spot the vehicle.

“We noticed the river was at a high level with strong currents and it was very difficult to see anything.

“After a few hours of searching, we decided to call it off because of the heavy rain and wait for the water level to drop.” 

Laatz said two of their team members (Bianca White and Warren Sellers) were on their way home and when White decided to follow her instinct and check one more location, the Gordon Road bridge.

“Bianca (White) informed us around 1am that only a small portion of a vehicle was visible at this location and all the other rescue teams regrouped.

“Swimmers from the fire department went in and were able to confirm that there was a body inside the vehicle, but were not able to say with certainty that it was the missing female.”

Laatz said once the water level had dropped by around 4.30am on Friday, they were then able to remove the vehicle and Jeawon’s body was identified.

He said when Jeawon’s vehicle was sucked into the river “The water was high and powerful”.

“Unfortunately, that forced the vehicle to flip over. It was crushed and mangled.” 

He said they viewed camera footage showing Jeawon’s vehicle being carried away by the Umbilo River.

“It was visible that she was pressing the vehicle’s brakes as those lights were on at some stage, which indicates that she panicked. Her husband told us that she called him to say she was stuck in the river.”

Laatz advised that the best reaction in such situations was to get to the back seat of the vehicle because the front was usually the part that sinks due to the engine’s weight, which was the case with Jeawon’s vehicle.

“Go to the back and try to get out ideally through the window. You will have to brace yourself for being underwater for a few seconds and then you’ll be able to swim out to an eddy in the river, where there are no serious currents.

“But people usually panic in such situations and swallow water, and the debris in the river can also knock you out.”

The vehicle was carried nearly three kilometres before it got lodged near the Gordon Road Bridge. The roof was crumpled and the jaws of life were needed to free Jeawon’s body, which was still strapped and in the driver’s seat.

Family spokesperson Devashin Manikam Govender said they were devastated by the passing of Jeawon. 

“Vanitha was a loving and devoted wife to her husband Romy and mother to their two young daughters.

“It has been especially difficult for Romy who received her call for help, which she made out of desperation before her passing away.

“The family appreciates the love and support received by many people at this very difficult time, leading up to Sunday’s funeral.”

DAILY NEWS