The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has appealed to the public to be safety minded around water after a number of incidents in the past week.
On Thursday, the busy main road in Cape Town's touristy Kalk Bay was streaming with ambulances, police and other rescue vehicles after a Valhalla Park man disappeared off the harbour wall.
He had travelled to the area with 15 people and while rescuers searched for him, his distraught family and friends waited in the parking lot of a nearby shopping area.
One bystander, who did not want to be named, said the man's young child was among those who waited hours to hear if the father had been found.
On Tuesday a 10-year-old girl drowned, while her two siblings were rescued in the Wilderness in the Western Cape, and a 14-year-old Zimbabwean boy went missing on Christmas Day after being swept over the tidal pool in Gqeberha, the NSRI said.
Also on Tuesday, a 26-year-old man failed to return from a swim at Victoria Bay in the province. “An extensive search by, NSRI Wilderness and George Fire and Rescue Services revealed no sign of the man, who was suspected to have disappeared under water,” the institute said.
In Cape Vidal, KwaZulu-Natal, a 55-year-old woman died after suffering a medical emergency on a boat on Tuesday.
In Witbank, Mpumalanga, the NSRI assisted police divers and K9 Search and Rescue in a search for a man, believed to be in his 30s, who went missing while fishing at the Kromdraai Plots on the Olifants River. The Tuesday search was hampered by fast-flowing water from the dam's sluice gates.
Also on Tuesday, a young girl was rescued at Boulders Beach in Cape Town, while at St Francis Bay medics attended to another young girl who had been rescued by members of the public. Another young girl was rescued at Strand Beach in Gordons Bay, near Cape Town.
The NSRI has also assisting in a number of boating incidents.
On Tuesday a vessel made it to Gordons Bay harbour after taking on water at Steenbras Point, while four crew members of an inflatable boat suffered steering failure at Kogel Bay and had to be assisted to safety.
In another incident that day, the NSRI assisted a vessel with steering failure five nautical miles off Durban.
Also in Gordons Bay, a paddler was rescued after his craft began to sink on Monday, while in Knysna on Tuesday, a private boat assisted a paddler who had capsized at the Knysna Heads.
The NSRI are appealing to bathers to swim at beaches protected by lifeguards, while advising anglers to keep a safe distance from the shore.
Inland recreational water users should be cautious of rapidly flowing rivers and not try to cross them or submerged low-lying bridges, while parents have been urged to ensure their children's safety around water.
Boaters, paddlers, sailors, stand-up paddle boarders and kite boarders on coastal and inland waters are advised to use the NSRI RSA SafeTrx smartphone application, have and know how to use safety equipment, including whistles, life-jackets and red distress flares. The NSRI suggests keeping cellphones charged and in watertight sleeves.
Dr Cleeve Robertson, NSRI CEO, said: “We commend our NSRI volunteers and operations support teams, as well as the public, police, law enforcement, fire and rescue, lifeguards, private and government ambulance services, disaster risk management, community support structures, government and provincial services and all volunteer emergency services for their ongoing support, assistance, vigilance and service during this busy festive season.”
This story will be updated when TimesLIVE confirms outcomes of rescue efforts for those still missing.
TimesLIVE
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NSRI appeals to public to take care around water
Image: 123RF/Paul Fleet
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has appealed to the public to be safety minded around water after a number of incidents in the past week.
On Thursday, the busy main road in Cape Town's touristy Kalk Bay was streaming with ambulances, police and other rescue vehicles after a Valhalla Park man disappeared off the harbour wall.
He had travelled to the area with 15 people and while rescuers searched for him, his distraught family and friends waited in the parking lot of a nearby shopping area.
One bystander, who did not want to be named, said the man's young child was among those who waited hours to hear if the father had been found.
On Tuesday a 10-year-old girl drowned, while her two siblings were rescued in the Wilderness in the Western Cape, and a 14-year-old Zimbabwean boy went missing on Christmas Day after being swept over the tidal pool in Gqeberha, the NSRI said.
Also on Tuesday, a 26-year-old man failed to return from a swim at Victoria Bay in the province. “An extensive search by, NSRI Wilderness and George Fire and Rescue Services revealed no sign of the man, who was suspected to have disappeared under water,” the institute said.
In Cape Vidal, KwaZulu-Natal, a 55-year-old woman died after suffering a medical emergency on a boat on Tuesday.
In Witbank, Mpumalanga, the NSRI assisted police divers and K9 Search and Rescue in a search for a man, believed to be in his 30s, who went missing while fishing at the Kromdraai Plots on the Olifants River. The Tuesday search was hampered by fast-flowing water from the dam's sluice gates.
Also on Tuesday, a young girl was rescued at Boulders Beach in Cape Town, while at St Francis Bay medics attended to another young girl who had been rescued by members of the public. Another young girl was rescued at Strand Beach in Gordons Bay, near Cape Town.
The NSRI has also assisting in a number of boating incidents.
On Tuesday a vessel made it to Gordons Bay harbour after taking on water at Steenbras Point, while four crew members of an inflatable boat suffered steering failure at Kogel Bay and had to be assisted to safety.
In another incident that day, the NSRI assisted a vessel with steering failure five nautical miles off Durban.
Also in Gordons Bay, a paddler was rescued after his craft began to sink on Monday, while in Knysna on Tuesday, a private boat assisted a paddler who had capsized at the Knysna Heads.
The NSRI are appealing to bathers to swim at beaches protected by lifeguards, while advising anglers to keep a safe distance from the shore.
Inland recreational water users should be cautious of rapidly flowing rivers and not try to cross them or submerged low-lying bridges, while parents have been urged to ensure their children's safety around water.
Boaters, paddlers, sailors, stand-up paddle boarders and kite boarders on coastal and inland waters are advised to use the NSRI RSA SafeTrx smartphone application, have and know how to use safety equipment, including whistles, life-jackets and red distress flares. The NSRI suggests keeping cellphones charged and in watertight sleeves.
Dr Cleeve Robertson, NSRI CEO, said: “We commend our NSRI volunteers and operations support teams, as well as the public, police, law enforcement, fire and rescue, lifeguards, private and government ambulance services, disaster risk management, community support structures, government and provincial services and all volunteer emergency services for their ongoing support, assistance, vigilance and service during this busy festive season.”
This story will be updated when TimesLIVE confirms outcomes of rescue efforts for those still missing.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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