Cape Town - A 20-year-old man rescued from drowning at Hout Bay beach on Wednesday, died at Groote Schuur Hospital, the City of Cape Town said.
Spokesman Wilfred Solomon-Johannes said attempts by the medical staff the hospital to completely resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
“At 4.45pm the doctor on-duty at the emergency trauma unit declared the patient from the Imizamo Yethu Informal Settlement in Hout Bay as deceased.”
He said an autopsy would be performed to determine the exact cause of death.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) earlier said the man got into difficulty while swimming with a friend in the river.
“His friend tried to help but was not a strong enough swimmer and struggled to save himself,” said spokesman Andrew Ingram.
He said NSRI volunteers found the man in two metres of water. He was taken out of the river and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) started until paramedics arrived to take over resuscitation attempts.
He was airlifted to Groote Schuur Hospital in a critical condition.
Solomon-Johannes identified the man as Siphamamndla Jamce. - Sapa