ADDO, Eastern Cape – The Eastern Cape Department of Transport has confirmed that a vehicle which plunged into a body of water near Addo in the early hours of Saturday morning has been recovered, with two bodies found inside.

In a statement issued on today, the department said the submerged vehicle had been successfully retrieved from the water following recovery operations at the scene.

“The submerged vehicle in Addo has now been recovered from the water.

“Sadly, two bodies have been recovered from the vehicle, while one person remains missing. Search and recovery operations are continuing,” the department said.

According to the department, the incident occurred at approximately 02:30 when a light motor vehicle carrying five occupants veered off a farm road and plunged down an embankment into a body of water.

The two surviving occupants, both foreign nationals, reportedly managed to escape from the vehicle before it became submerged.

The remaining three occupants were believed to have been trapped inside as the vehicle disappeared beneath the water.

Following the recovery of the vehicle, authorities recovered the bodies of two occupants.

Efforts to locate the third missing person remain ongoing.

The department said additional resources would be deployed to assist with the search once emergency personnel had completed the necessary processes at the scene.

“Search and recovery operations are continuing. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available,” the department said.

The incident formed part of two serious crashes reported by the department on Saturday morning. Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the Addo incident are continuing.