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A female university student has drowned while a male student is missing at sea at Wilderness on the Garden Route.
The National Sea Rescue Institute said the incident happened on Friday afternoon when the NSRI Wilderness duty crew was activated following reports of a drowning in progress in front of Views Hotel.
Wilderness Station Commander, Mike Vonk, said the female student, believed to be aged 22, was located unresponsive by NSRI rescue swimmers past the backline of the waves.
He said the woman from Gauteng was rushed to shore and taken to a hospital where she later died.
Vonk said the missing 18-year-old student is from Ngqamakhwe in the Eastern Cape.
“We believe that while a group of University students were swimming rip currents may have developed in the surf. The students exited the water but the female was caught in rip currents,” he said.
The police dive unit continued the search on Saturday for the missing teen, who is believed to have tried to rescue the woman.
SAPS opened an inquest docket, and no further details were immediately available.
