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A pregnant mum was hacked to death as she slept alongside her husband and toddler son on a weekend birthday trip.

Tragic Karen Turner, 31, was staying at a luxury lodge at a South African holiday resort with her family when they were attacked at about 3am.

Two men armed with knives had broken into their self-contained lodge overlooking the beach at the Hluleka Nature Reserve.

Tragically, Karen and her unborn child died from knife injuries.

Her husband Matthew, who was stabbed several times, managed to bravely fight back while their 23-month-old son also survived.

The vicious attack comes just days before Prince Harry is due to fly into South Africa with his wife Meghan and son Archie.

They are taking their baby son on a tour to visit Harry’s “favourite place in the world” but where crime is spiralling out of control with over 21,000 murders and 45,000 rapes carried out last year.

(Image: Facebook)

The army is currently deployed on the streets in townships on the outskirts of Cape Town to try and stop all the killings.

The attack on this young family who had booked into the nature reserve for a holiday to celebrate Karen’s birthday on the cliffs that overlook the Indian Ocean will cast a shadow over the royal visit.

South African Police say they have one suspect they are trying to trace and said that his arrest will be made very shortly and that the second man will then be traced after the stabbings in Ngqeleni.

Police spokesperson Captain Dineo Koena confirmed a 31-year-old woman was murdered in the early hours of Tuesday and her husband receive serious knife wounds to the stomach.

Karen’s older brother Ian Crouch told News24 that he had spoken to his brother-in-law when he came out of life saving surgery after being airlifted to Pietermaritzburg Hospital.

He told News24:”Matthew’s recollection was that he was woken up by being stabbed in the stomach by a guy on his side of the bed and there was another chap stabbing my sister.

(Image: Facebook)

“He said he managed to sort of grab the guy and there was a tussle down the stairs” he said.

Mr Crouch drove to the scene which he described as a “blood bath” and said the balcony door was open and the windows on latches as it was a hot night and there was no forced entry.

He confirmed it appeared nothing had been stolen and their mobiles were by their bed.

Timber merchant Mr Crouch also confirmed his sister who taught at Underberg Primary School in their home town in KwaZulu-Natal province was about three months pregnant.

Both mother and her unborn child were killed in the attack which turned the bedroom, stairs and downstairs into a bloodbath as the brave husband chased off the two men.

Tragic Karen was murdered the day after celebrating her 31st birthday at the luxury resort.

(Image: Facebook)

The couple lived in Underberg where they had just bought a home together on the farm that husband Matthew manages. They had been married in July 2017 and Hayden was born four months later.

Friends of the couple who were on holiday with them were awoken by the sounds of a struggle and the baby boy Hayden screaming and hammered on the door and stabbed Matthew answered covered in blood.

A family friend of the couple’s child Hayden was fortunately unhurt in the horror attack.

Mr Turner was airlifted by helicopter to hospital but nothing could be done to save his wife and unborn child,

Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency CEO Vuyani Dayimani said: “The two guests were booked in from Monday to Thursday and police were called after a stabbing incident.

“The police have confirmed one visitor passed away and another is in hospital.

“As an agency who manage the reserve we are shocked that his taken place in one of our flagship coastal reserves as the safety and security of our guests is our key priority”.