Durban - A 9-year-old boy from Verulam drowned after being washed away in ankle deep water, on the KwaZulu Natal North Coast at the weekend.
IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson Paul Herbst said the child was thought to have been standing at the edge of the La Mercy lagoon, north of Durban, when a wave from the incoming tide swept him off his feet on Saturday afternoon.
Police divers and officers from the K9 Search and Rescue units - as well as IPSS Medical Rescue’s Aquatic unit, Netcare 911 and other local emergency services - all attended the scene.
“K9 Ghost (the K9 dog), with the assistance of the IPSS Medical Rescue boat, conducted a surface search in the lagoon,” Herbst said. “After identifying an area, a dive operation was conducted with fading daylight.”
Herbst said the little boy’s body was located about four metres below the surface of the water.
An inquest docket was opened.