Zimbabweans drown trying to cross the Limpopo

Media reports from Zimbabwe say about thirty-six Zimbabweans are feared drowned after they tried to cross the rain-swollen Limpopo River into South Africa.

The Zimbabwe Daily Herald newspaper said two groups had tried and failed to make the crossing in the past week.

The paper says conmen, acting as bogus guides, pocket people's money and trick them into dangerous and illegal river crossings because they are desperate to find jobs in South Africa.

The police in Zimbabwe suspect that some of those who drowned could have been illegal immigrants returning to South Africa after holidaying at home.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service