Search continues for two servicemen

18 April 2016 - 08:38 By LEONIE WAGNER

Rescue operations are under way to find two soldiers who disappeared at sea while swimming at Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape, on Saturday. Fears are mounting that the men - from Pretoria and Oudtshoorn - drowned.The soldiers, who were in Port St Johns to take part in a mission readiness exercise, were off-duty when they disappeared.According to the National Sea Rescue Institute the men were swimming at Second Beach on Saturday afternoon when one of them got into difficulties.The institute said that one of the soldiers disappeared under the water when he tried to help his colleague who had got into difficulty while swimming in the surf.Police divers, along with a South African Air Force helicopter, and members of the Eastern Cape Emergency Service immediately launched a search and rescue mission for the soldiers.Craig Lambinon, the institute's spokesman, said that, despite an extensive sea and shoreline search, there was no sign of the men and that they were presumed to have drowned.South African National Defence Force spokesman Brigadier-General Xolani Mabanga, said yesterday the search for the two soldiers was still under way...

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