JEFFREYS BAY, December 18 (ANA) – A teenager drowned while playing beach ball in Paradise Beach lagoon in Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape on Sunday, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.
The Kouga emergency response plan was activated and NSRI Jeffreys Bay dispatched a sea rescue vehicle, while Eastern Cape government health emergency medical services (EMS), the SA Police Service, and the Kouga municipal lifeguards were also activated, NSRI Jeffreys Bay station commander Rieghard Janse van Rensburg said.
On arrival on the scene it was confirmed that a 16-year-old boy, from Port Elizabeth, was playing beach ball with friends in the lagoon when he slipped into a hole under the water and disappeared underwater.
Six NSRI Jeffreys Bay rescue swimmers and two Kouga municipal lifeguards formed a sweeping line free dive search and during the search the body of the teenager was located and recovered.
Paramedics declared the teenager dead. NSRI and emergency services conveyed sincerest condolences to the family – the mother, father, and sister who were on the scene. They were being assisted by trauma counsellors, Janse van Rensburg said.
– African News Agency (ANA)
