The body of a seven-year-old girl who had been missing has been found in Kleinmond. She disappeared underwater while swimming with her friends in Palmiet river on Sunday.
According to Schalk Boonzaaier, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Kleinmond station commander, sea rescue crafts and crew volunteers were dispatched in conjunction with the Police Dive Unit and Western Cape’s emergency medical services (EMS) to search for the missing girl on Sunday.
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“Her ten-year-old sister had managed to get out of the water and she was attended to by EMS paramedics and transported to the hospital by EMS ambulance in a stable condition,” said Boonzaier.
However, there was no sign of the young girl. The search continued for the seven-year-old and resumed again on Monday.
“NSRI rescue swimmers conducted sweeping line walk method search patterns, in wait-deep water, the search close to the river mouth was a joint effort to focus on the search areas identified by police divers.
“The tides, river currents, and sea currents played a crucial role in this joint effort, with growing fears that the child may be swept out of the river mouth and lost at sea,” said Boonzaaier.
During the early hours of Monday evening, the body of the seven-year-old was located and recovered in a corner of the Palmiet river near the river’s mouth.
“The body of the child has been taken into the care of police and Government Health Forensic Pathology Services,” Boonzaaier confirmed.
Police have opened an inquest docket.
“We commend the close working relationship between emergency services, police, and NSRI that has assisted the family of the child in this difficult time,” added Boonzaaier.
The NSRI conveyed their condolences to the family of the young girl.
Rescuers are still searching for a teenage boy who went missing from the Kleinmond main beach. Despite an extensive search, there remains no sign of the 17-year-old.
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