Body of teen who drowned at Umdloti Beach recovered
The body of a 17-year-old boy who was swept out to sea last week at Umdloti Main Beach was recovered on Saturday, according to Lifesaving South Africa.
Image: Supplied file image
The body of a teenage boy, who drowned while swimming at Umdloti beach last week, has been recovered.
Lifesaving South Africa said that the body of the 17-year-old male was recovered at the same beach by lifeguards on Saturday, December 20.
The boy, along with two other teens, had gone swimming on December 17 when all three got into difficulty. While lifeguards were able to rescue the two others, the 17-year-old could not be found.
“The family positively identified the deceased, and the body was handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for further processing,” Lifesaving South Africa said.
It added that there are no updates regarding two youngsters who went missing in the ocean at a Wild Coast beach in the former Transkei.
The severe storm that lashed the KZN South Coast has also resulted in missing persons being reported.
“By midday today (Monday), Lifesaving South Africa had received reports of at least two confirmed fatalities directly linked to the flooding in the Lower South Coast area. These tragic events follow reports of two separate incidents in which bodies were recovered from rivers in Gauteng.
Lifesaving South Africa also reported a successful rescue carried out by its volunteer lifesavers at Fish Hoek Beach on Sunday afternoon at approximately 4pm.
A 10-year-old child was caught in a rip current and swept out to sea. An adult family friend attempted to assist but was also caught in the current. On-duty lifesavers immediately responded, swimming out with Rescue Tube Buoys and reaching both individuals before they submerged.
Both patients were safely brought to shore, assessed, and advised to seek further medical evaluation at a hospital.
Dhaya Sewduth, Media Director of Lifesaving South Africa, praised the duty squad at Fish Hoek Beach—Rogan Krog, Kate Becker, Amber van der Byl, and Nikolas Balden—for their swift and decisive actions in safely rescuing the two individuals and reuniting them with their families.
“These patients were fortunate to be swimming at a lifeguarded beach. This incident reinforces the critical message that bathers should only swim at beaches where lifeguards are on duty and during designated duty hours. Entering the water at unpatrolled beaches places lives at unnecessary risk.”