Rescuers continue search for six fishermen missing off Cape Town

Police sea borderline control and a dive unit continued searching on Friday for six fishermen missing at sea off Cape Town. 

Thirteen men went overboard when their rigid hull inflatable boat ran into difficulty in the early hours of Thursday morning in rough seas between Oudekraal and Clifton. 

One of them managed to swim ashore at Clifton and alerted residents.

After an extensive search and rescue operation involving the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), police, air force, law enforcement and the Western Cape medical services helicopter, two men were rescued about a kilometre offshore. 

NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said that they were spotted from an air force helicopter floating in the water near Bakoven during the day on Thursday.

“A rescue swimmer was deployed from the helicopter and secured one of the men. A sea rescue craft rendezvoused at that location and secured one man, who was taken on board,” he said.

Both men were suffering from hypothermia and were airlifted to hospital, where they are recovering.

Three more men also managed to get ashore unharmed. The body of one man was located by a sea rescue craft.

The search for the remaining six men continued throughout the night.

“During an ongoing search during the night there remains no sign of the missing men. NSRI Melkbosstrand and NSRI Yzerfontein are tasked to keep a lookout and will assist police in their search efforts,” said Lambinon.

Ships at sea were requested to keep a lookout, with city law-enforcement officers patrolling the coastline.