A missing 13-year-old girl was found half naked and dead in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday, the police said. 

In a double tragedy for the community, one of the men who had been helping with the search for the person who had killed her was electrocuted. 

Spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said a missing person's docket was opened with the police in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday after the girl went missing. 

The police and K9 unit went to look for her, but she was not found. 

"This morning, the half-naked body of a 13-year-old girl was found near a river close to the Jika Joe informal settlement," said Mbele.

While people were trying to find the person responsible for the attack on the girl, a man in his 40s was electrocuted and declared dead on the scene. 

A man in his 20s was arrested in connection with the girl's murder and is expected to appear in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court soon. 

An inquest will also be held into the death of the person who was electrocuted. 

The Witness reported the teenager had disappeared within minutes of going to a yard to play with friends. 

Her family told the publication the police had not searched for her immediately, and protests were held in the area to get their attention.