Elderly man drowns while fishing in the south of Durban

An elderly man slipped while trying to cross a canal at Cuttings Beach and was washed into the sea. | Supplied

An elderly man slipped while trying to cross a canal at Cuttings Beach and was washed into the sea. | Supplied

Published Apr 5, 2022

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Durban - A search is on for an elderly man who drowned in the south coast of Durban on Monday night.

Medi Response spokesperson Paul Herbst said on Monday evening that the Medi Response search and rescue unit, together with the SAPS search and rescue unit, responded to Cuttings Canal in Durban following reports of a drowning in progress.

“On arrival of crews, it was reported that a 74-year-old man had been fishing when he attempted to cross the canal and was swept away, out to sea. Witnesses report that they saw the man drown before disappearing from sight,” Herbst said.

He said searches were taken but with negative results and had to be suspended because of lack of light.

Herbst said the search was expected to resume at first light.

Police confirmed that Wentworth SAPS responded to the scene.

In a tweet on Monday afternoon, police said police divers from SAPS Durban Search and Rescue were called out to Cuttings Beach for a drowning after reports about a 72-year-old man slipped while trying to cross the canal and was washed into the sea. The search was suspended after dark and was expected to resume on Tuesday morning.

The Daily News is awaiting official police comment.

Daily News

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SAPSDrowning