Bodies recovered, others still missing: New Year turns deadly at SA beaches
Several drowning incidents, deaths and missing persons were reported along South Africa’s coastline during New Year’s celebrations, prompting a large-scale response from the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and other emergency services.
One of the most serious incidents occurred in KwaZulu-Natal, where the KZN surf rescue network was alerted to people in distress at Pennington Beach near the tidal pool on the South Coast.
It is revealed that the NSRI Rocky Bay rescue swimmers, SAPS, Police Search and Rescue, IPSS medical rescue and Alert lifeguards responded after reports of at least three people caught in rip currents. While en route, reports were updated indicating that as many as five people were in distress.
Alert lifeguards managed to rescue three people from the water. A 21-year-old man was declared dead by paramedics.
“During the night, at around 21h30, police recovered a male, aged 21, in the vicinity, sadly deceased. Police have opened inquest dockets for the two deceased cases,” the rescue unit revealed.
Two others, a young adult male and an 18-year-old woman, were rescued without injuries.
Later that evening, police recovered the body of another 21-year-old man in the vicinity, also confirmed dead.
Police have opened inquest dockets for both deaths, while search operations continue for two remaining missing males, both believed to be 21 years old.
“Police Search and Rescue, assisted by NSRI and lifeguards, are continuing in search operations for the two remaining missing males. Thoughts and care are with the families of the missing two young men.”
On the same day, the NSRI Shelly Beach duty crew was activated following reports of a person missing in the surf between Hibberdene and Mfasazane.
Despite an extensive search involving NSRI, SAPS, Police Search and Rescue and medical services, no sign was found of a 33-year-old local man who reportedly went missing in the water at around 16:00. Search efforts are continuing.
In the Western Cape, the NSRI Plettenberg Bay duty crew responded to several incidents. At Nature’s Valley Beach, a 56-year-old man was rescued from the water by a 16-year-old male. NSRI medics assessed the man on the scene and confirmed that he was not injured.
Later that afternoon, rescue teams were dispatched to Nature’s Valley Lagoon, where a 7-year-old boy from The Crags was rescued from the water by lifeguards. He was treated for non-fatal drowning symptoms and transported to hospital in a stable condition, accompanied by his father.
On Wednesday, 31 December, NSRI Plettenberg Bay responded to a drowning in progress at Robberg Beach, where two 24-year-old men from Johannesburg were rescued by a bystander using an NSRI rescue buoy before emergency services arrived.
The rescue teams have once again urged the public to exercise extreme caution when entering the ocean, particularly in areas affected by rip currents, and to swim only in lifeguard-protected zones.
Saturday Star