Durban — Two friends, aged 12 and 15 drowned on the South Coast on Saturday around midday.
Mi7 National Group spokesperson Colin David said that just after 1pm on Saturday, Mi7 National Group's Emergency Medical Services was dispatched after a request for assistance from the police's Search and Rescue teams in Park Rynie, South Coast.
David said that police teams had embarked on a wide-scale operation after two young girls, both friends, were swept out to sea by strong rapids.
“It is believed their families were holidaying in the area and the girls, aged 12 and 15, were playing in the surf when the current pulled them deeper,” David said.
“Bystanders recovered the body of the 15-year-old who had drowned, and extensive rescue operations by police, Mi7 medics, and their counterparts from other service providers, were underway to find the 12-year-old.”
David said that the search was called off until Sunday morning due to oceanic conditions.
Commenting on Facebook, Tony Gounder said: “I was on this scene, a sad one indeed.”
In September this year, Netcare 911 responded to reports of a drowning at an unprotected beach south of the Wild Coast Sun Holiday Resort.
Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said reports indicate that a group of swimmers got into difficulty after being pulled into the sea by a strong rip current.
Herbst said that most of the swimmers managed to get themselves to shore with the help of people at a local camping site.
He said that one of the swimmers, a 15-year-old boy, was found on a nearby rocky outcrop and was brought to shore by the South Coast SAPS Search and Rescue Unit.
“The young boy was assessed on scene by paramedics, however, showed no signs of life and was sadly declared deceased,” Herbst said.
He said that a 12-year-old boy was also rescued from the sea by the National Sea Rescue Institute and handed over to Netcare 911.
“The patient was assessed and found to have respiratory distress,” Herbst said.
“Once treated and stabilised, the young boy was transported to the hospital for further care.”
Daily News