Missing accountant’s body found in gorge river

THE body of Port Elizabeth chartered accountant Alan Cousins was recovered from below the Storms River Bridge late yesterday.

Cousins, who had been missing for six days, was last seen at 6am on Thursday when he left the Engen petrol station in Greenacres.

It is believed he then went to his office in Richmond Hill briefly, but was not seen again.

Yesterday, his white MercedesBenz was found parked near the Total Garage at Storms River after a passer-by alerted police to a body in the river below at about 11am.

The police searchand-rescue unit and mountain rescue were called in as the gorge was inaccessible by foot.

They spent six hours on the bridge after rigging a rope pulley system to lower rescue workers.

Police spokesman Sergeant Majola Nkohli said rescue workers had been hoisted down the gorge to retrieve the body by late afternoon.

“I can confirm that the vehicle belonging to Cousins was found parked at the garage. The vehicle was locked and the family were asked to bring spare keys,” Nkohli said.

“At this stage, the matter is still under investigation and foul play has not yet been ruled out.”

Cousins’ niece, Paula Casali, confirmed that her uncle’s body had been found.

She said: “Everyone is devastated and traumatised. We are really shocked and all the family members are flying in from all over the country.

“At this stage, we want to thank everyone who assisted in the search and ask people to respect our privacy in this difficult time.

“We do not suspect any foul play,” Casali said.

Cousins’ family had been searching for him and circulating his picture on social media since Friday afternoon. Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said concerned people from as far as Cape Town and Bloemfontein had offered their help with the search for the missing man.