Photo: AP
A witness reported that some of the more than 30 attendees were standing on rocks in the river Saturday when a torrent of water rushed through.
Police and fire departments, as well as specialized water rescue teams, are all involved in search and rescue operations.
The South African rainy season is notorious for this type of flooding.
After recovering two bodies on Saturday, rescuers discovered seven more on Sunday, according to authorities. Local media reported that one of the eyewitnesses, who was attending a religious service, said that he was able to pull five people out of the river who had been swept 100 meters downstream. Others had been swept too far downstream for him to save, he explained.
According to the authorities, there were 33 people in the service, nine of whom have died and eight remain unaccounted for.
The city of Johannesburg has received a lot of rain in the last three months and most of the river streams are currently full. Our citizens, particularly the faithful who generally perform these types of rites, will feel attracted to visit these streams, according to an official told local media.
