At least nine people have died and eight others are missing after a flash flood swept away members of a church congregation, rescue officials said.
The devastating floods happened along the Jukskei River in Johannesburg, South Africa, yesterday with the dead and missing all part of the same congregation.
They were conducting religious rituals along the shallow river at the time, it's understood.
Rescue workers reported finding the bodies of two victims that day and another seven bodies when the search and recovery mission resumed this morning.
The teams were interviewing people from the congregation to establish how many others were unaccounted for.
Religious groups frequently gather along the Jukskei River, which runs past townships such as Alexandra in the east of Johannesburg, for baptisms and ritual cleansing.
Local reports say that around 33 worshippers were taking part in the rituals on the river banks.
Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said that officials had warned residents about the dangers of conducting the rituals along the river.
"We have been receiving a lot of rain on the city of Johannesburg in the last three months, and most of the river streams are now full.
Our residents, especially congregants who normally practice these kinds of rituals, will be tempted to go to these river streams," Mulaudzi said during a news briefing.
"Our message for them is to exercise caution as and when they conduct these rituals," he added.
The Jukskei river also flooded back in November 2016, with hundreds of makeshift homes swept away in the township of Alexandria.
