Four dead, one missing, two survivors as fishing trawler runs aground

Four fishermen died and a fifth is missing after a fishing trawler accident near Mossel Bay, the South African Maritime Safety Authority said on Tuesday.

The trawler appears to have run aground on rocks near Gouritzmond, prompting a rescue operation.

“The incident began when a distress call was transmitted by the fishing vessel Dijaanda, pinpointed to the Gouritzmond region,” said the authority.

“Responding swiftly, the fishing vessel Vuna Elisa headed towards the potential emergency location, while the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Mossel Bay initiated a search along the coastal shore.

“Ultimately, the NSRI managed to locate the vessel stranded on the rocks and successfully rescued the crew members on board. Sadly, out of the seven crew, four were discovered to have perished, one was injured, and another remained missing,” the statement said.

NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said during the search an NSRI rescue vehicle crew, 5km west of the Gouritz River mouth, found a local fishing trawler washed up on rocks about 3am where the skipper of the casualty vessel was recovered from rocks in shallow surf. He said he had been conducting CPR on one of his crewmen but was swamped by the high tide.

“The skipper confirmed that, including himself, there were seven people on-board. One crewman could be heard shouting for help from the casualty fishing vessel that was badly damaged and was being battered by heavy waves. An NSRI rescue swimmer recovered that crewman from the casualty fishing vessel in rough seas.

“The skipper and crewman were treated for hypothermia.”

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