Durban – A 6-year-old girl drowned at a zoo in Camperdown, in KZN, on Saturday afternoon.
According to police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele, an inquest docket was opened at Camperdown police station for investigation.
“It is alleged that on January 23 at 2.30pm, a 6-year-old girl was swimming at a zoo when she got into difficulty and drowned. The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated.”
According to Colin David, group director of Mi7 National Group's Emergency Medical Services, they responded after receiving reports of a child who was unresponsive.
“Mi7 medics on arrival found an off-duty paramedic attempting CPR on the girl. It is believed she was swimming in a pool when she was found unresponsive.
“Mi7 medics urgently administered advanced life support interventions and transported the patient to hospital.”
David said the patient was handed over to waiting specialist doctors who then continued the resuscitation.
“Unfortunately, after a full resuscitation attempt, there was nothing further that could be done for the patient and the child was declared deceased at the hospital.
“We express our sincerest condolences to the family.”
In a separate incident, Prem Balram, of Reaction Unit SA, said they responded on Sunday night to reports of a possible drowning at Umdloti beach on the KZN North Coast.
“According to witnesses, two men were swimming next to Heelys Rock on North Beach Road when they began experiencing difficulty. Two beachgoers swam out and managed to rescue one of the men. The second man is presumed to have drowned,” said Balram.
The NSRI was searching for the second man.
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