Cape Town - Police Dive Units are continuing the search for a missing 17-year-old boy at Kleinmond Main Beach and a missing 7-year-old girl at the Palmiet River.
NSRI Kleinmond station commander Schalk Boonzaaier said after 2pm on Sunday NSRI Kleinmond duty crew were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Kleinmond Main Beach.
“It appears that four teenagers, on a school camp, believed to be from Montague, reportedly had reached a submerged sand bank that they were standing on when the missing teenager may have lost his footing on the slope of the sandbank before being swept away in sea currents,” Boonzaaier said.
The three teenagers were able to get to the shore and were not injured. Two NSRI rescue craft conducted a sea search, NSRI rescue swimmers conducted free dive sweeping line search efforts, an EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter conducted an aerial sea search and shoreline search efforts were carried out for the 17-year-old who went missing in the surf line.
“Despite an extensive search there remains no sign of the teenager. The Police Dive Unit were activated and they are continuing in an ongoing search operation,” Boonzaaier said.
On Monday the NSRI Kleinmond launched an NSRI rescue craft and shore crew assisting police divers in their ongoing search.
At 3.47am on Sunday, NSRI Kleinmond and NSRI Hermanus, together with SA Police Services and WC Government Health EMS, responded to the Palmiet River following reports of a drowning in progress.
“Two NSRI rescue craft were launched and 11 NSRI rescue swimmers entered the water to conduct free dive sweeping line search efforts for a local 7-year-old child who had disappeared under water while swimming with her sister,” Boonzaaier said.
Her 10-year-old sister had managed to get out of the water and she was attended to by EMS paramedics and transported to hospital in a stable condition. The Police Dive Unit continues the search for the missing girl.
Meanwhile, a body has been recovered from the beach at Rooi Sand near to the Bot River Lagoon.
Before 11am on Sunday, NSRI Kleinmond responded to Rooi Sand to assist the police following reports from a member of the public who had come across a body on the beach.
“NSRI assisted police on the scene.
The body of a man was taken onboard our NSRI rescue craft and brought to the Kleinmond slipway where police and Government Health Forensic Pathology Services have taken the body into their care.
“A police inquest docket has been opened,” Boonzaaier said.
Cape Times