Durban - A 39-year-old man has drowned after he was caught in a rip current while wading in waist-deep water at Fig Tree Beach situated between Southbroom and Ramsgate on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast.
National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson, Craig Lambinon said the man who is believed to be from Kwazikwa near Port Edward, died shortly after 4pm on Saturday.
Lambinon said NSRI Shelly Beach duty crew was alerted to the distress call.
"NSRI rescue swimmers, SA Police Services, Police Search and Rescue, lifeguards and Med-Evac ambulance services responded. By the time they had arrived, they found that lifeguards had launched a rescue for the man in the surfline and managed to bring him to the shore where he was declared deceased by paramedics," Lambinon said.
He said the man's body was handed over the officials from the Health Forensic Pathology Services, while police confirmed that an inquest docket has been opened.
Lambinon said in Plettenberg, in the Western Cape, a 20-year-old Belgium tourist was rushed to hospital after suffering from a medical condition which left him unable to continue his walk at the Robberg Nature Reserve hiking trail.
Lambinon, said just after 10am, the NSRI officials at Plettenberg Bay were activated to the scene.
"Upon arrival at the scene, the patient was stabilised and Western Cape EMS Metro Control activated the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter to assist to extricate the patient to the parking area at Robberg, after a sea recovery was not viable due to the rough surf conditions," he said.
Lambinon said the patient was airlifted to a hospital in the vicinity, in a stable condition. He is expected to make a full recovery.