NATIONAL NEWS - At least two people drowned during Boxing Day activities in the Western Cape on Tuesday, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.
The NSRI was alerted by the Transnet National Ports Authority of a drowning in progress in the surf below Crystal Pools between Gordon’s Bay and Koegel Bay.
Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services’ rescue divers, the provincial government’s emergency medical services and provincial traffic police were already on the scene after being flagged down by bystanders who reported a father and son were in the surf experiencing difficulty.
“It appears that the 34-year-old male, from Athlone, and his 10-year-old son were fishing from rocks when the child was swept into the surf by waves and his dad jumped in to help but both got into difficulty,” the statement said.
“On the NSRI sea rescue craft arriving on the scene the child was rescued from the surf and during a search, seven minutes later the dad was spotted and he was rescued onto the sea rescue craft where NSRI medics initiated CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) on the dad while the sea rescue craft raced to the NSRI base in Gordons Bay where they were met by paramedics.”
Despite the CPR efforts, the 34-year-old man was declared dead at the scene.
The family has been provided with counselling.
In another incident, the NSRI was alerted to a report of CPR being performed on a 63-year-old man at an education camp in Soetwater, near Kommetjie.
The man had been diving and was later recovered after he was found “floating unresponsive in the water”.
“Bystanders had initiated CPR and CMR (Cape Medical Response) dispatched an ambulance and response paramedics and activated NSRI Kommetjie,” the statement said.
