2 tragically drown and one missing in separate incidents on KZN South Coast! Rip currents wreaked havoc on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast this weekend, with a female tragically losing her life and a man going missing at Margate Pier on Saturday, while another man drowned in a separate incident.
The National Sea Rescue Institute of South Africa (NSRI) said their Shelly Beach duty crew was called into action just after 4pm on Saturday afternoon, after members of the public alerted them to a male and female caught in rip currents.
According to reports, a good samaritan bystander entered the water and rescued an adult female from the water, bringing her to the beach.
2 tragically drown
NSRI crewmen, who were later joined by paramedics, attempted to resuscitate the female, but were unsuccessful and she was declared deceased.
After bringing the female to shore, the aforementioned good samaritan went back into the water in an attempt to rescue the male victim caught in the same current, but he was forced to retreat due to the rough Spring high tide.
The good Samaritan was thankfully uninjured and was commended for his efforts.
Lifeguards entered the water and continued to search for the man, who had disappeared beneath the water. At the time of writing, and in spite of an extensive search effort, there were no signs of the missing man.
Police divers, lifeguards, and K9 Search and Rescue personnel continue to search for the missing man.
In a separate incident at 3:31pm, NSRI Shelly Beach were alerted to a drowning at Palm beach. The casualty was reported to be out of the water.
“Misalinx armed response officers arrived on the scene and found a man unresponsive on the beach. KZN Private Ambulance, Medevac ambulance services, the SA Police Services and GP Security responded. Sadly the adult male was declared deceased,” said Craig Lambinon of the NSRI.
Police have opened an inquest docket on both drownings and the missing man report.
The NSRI urges bathers to get acquainted with the tide times, visit beaches protected by lifeguards, and avoid venturing too deep into the water.
It said rip currents form constantly at different places along the shoreline and bathers should always be alert to them while in the surf zone.
If you are caught in a rip current, the NSRI recomments the following:
- Don’t panic
- Stay afloat by treading water – moving your arms and legs in circular movements – and using the air in your lungs for added buoyancy
- As difficult as it sounds – go with the current and stay afloat – do not try to swim against the current, it will only tire you out.
- Shout for help (bystanders on the beach should call NSRI and continue to monitor where the casualties are in the water).
- At your first opportunity swim across the beach front until you are free of the rip current.
- Then use the incoming waves to get back to shore.
- Where NSRI pink buoys are stationed along the beach – bystanders should throw a pink buoy towards the casualty/s in the water.
- Parents must ensure that their children have responsible adult supervision in and around water.
- Know the emergency numbers: NSRI: 112 or 0870949774.
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