Cape Town - Recounting the moments before two young men were caught in a rip current at Lagoon Beach in Milnerton, a witness said they were enjoying a game of beach soccer when the ball landed in the water.
The game ended in tragedy after the bodies of the 19- and 20-year-old, who went missing at Lagoon Beach on Sunday, were retrieved from the water yesterday morning just after 11am.
The two were part of a local soccer team playing on the beach on Sunday.
Authorities confirmed that two bodies, believed to be the two soccer players, had been retrieved yesterday during the spring low tide.
Spokesperson for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Craig Lambinon said that the bodies were recovered by police divers and taken into the care of Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.
“It must be noted that formal identification by families is protocol that has not yet been observed, and we cannot emphasise enough the respect of all care being provided by police and Forensic Pathology to the families and friends in this sad tragedy that they are facing,” said Lambinon.
He thanked all role-players who were involved in the search, and offered a message of condolence to the families of the deceased.
Police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana said two bodies were recovered while the circumstances were still under investigation.
Lambinon further said that a Good Samaritan surfer, or surfers, who used a NSRI pink rescue buoy, had tried to rescue the two young men.
A man by the name of Michael Templeton gave a harrowing account on his Facebook page yesterday of how he attempted to save the two men in distress.
Templeton said that what started as a leisurely stroll along the Milnerton Lagoon Beachfront near Wang Thai restaurant quickly transformed into a frantic rescue mission.
“Two young soccer players, lured into the water to retrieve a ball, were swiftly swept away by a powerful current, exacerbated by recent rains and a swollen, fast-flowing lagoon.
“As I watched their desperate struggle, my frantic search for flotation devices came up empty-handed. With mounting dread, I witnessed one of the boys being dragged under, fighting to stay afloat,” Templeton wrote.
He said that despite reaching the youngster swiftly, their attempts to reach safety were thwarted by the relentless current, which pulled them into the turbulent surf.
“The waves tore him from my grasp and within moments he vanished beneath the water’s surface. Exhausted and fully clothed, I battled for my own survival, eventually washing ashore 30 agonising minutes later further down the beach,” he said.
“Sadly, for the two boys, the rescue operation had turned into a recovery effort by sundown.”
He added: “The tragic outcome could potentially have been different had emergency flotation devices been available along the promenade.
These essential tools could have provided the boys with something to cling to, potentially preventing the heart-wrenching loss.”
In a statement by the Milnerton Life Saving Club, it said the City should place permanent lifeguards on that stretch of beach.
“With adequate equipment and facilities from the start of the professional duty season – which usually coincides with the September school holidays – and not only for the peak festive period from December 15,” the statement said.
The NSRI advised the public to throw anything that floats to someone caught in rip current and call a lifeguard or the NSRI on 087 094 9774.