Two children drown in estuary at Muizenberg

Two children have drowned in the Zandvlei estuary at Muizenberg in the Western Cape.

Vaughn Seconds‚ station commander of the National Sea Rescue Institute at Strandfontein‚ said the NSRI duty crew had been activated on Friday evening following a report that the bodies of two children had been discovered in the water.

Police were already on the scene.

“We dispatched a sea rescue vehicle‚ and the Police Dive Unit‚ WC Government Health EMS‚ CoCT Fire and Rescue Services‚ the CoCT Fire and Rescue Services Dive Unit and Community Medics responded to join the SA Police Services and Law Enforcement who were in attendance on the scene.

“Eye-witnesses reported four children (believed to be males) to be playing in the water by the R310 bridge‚ Muizenberg‚ when the same eye-witnesses then discovered two children (believed to be from that group of four children) to be lying at the bottom in the water‚” said Seconds‚ adding that one of the children was believed to have been seen riding away on a bicycle.

“The bodies of both children were recovered from the water by Police divers and the bodies were taken into the care of the Forensic Pathology Services.

“An extensive search by Police and Fire divers was conducted in the water (after the 2 bodies were recovered) to rule out the possibility that any other of the children (that were playing in the water) could still be missing‚” Seconds said.

He said the drowning victims had not yet been identified. Police have opened and inquest docket.