On Friday, 22 September at 1:53pm, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Bakoven Station 2 received reports from eyewitnesses about a man who had gone missing at Camps Bay Beach.
Multiple rescue services collaborated in response to the incident, including NSRI Bakoven Station 2, NSRI Table Bay Station 3, SA Police Services (SAPS), CoCT Law Enforcement, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services, WC Government Health EMS, and Netcare 911 ambulance services.
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NSRI Bakoven launched the rescue craft Gemini Legend, while Cape Town Helicopters dispatched four helicopters at different times throughout the afternoon for aerial sea searches.
Five NSRI rescue swimmers entered the surf to conduct free dive searches.
The missing individual is a 21-year-old man believed to be from Middleburg, Mpumalanga, and possibly of Zimbabwean nationality. He was part of a church group visiting the beach during a weekend church event in Green Point.
SAPS WPDS (Water Policing and Dive Services) and an EMS rescue squad drone team were also present, contributing to the search efforts in the air, sea, and along the shoreline.
Despite the comprehensive search conducted by air, sea, and along the shoreline, there have been no indications of the missing man’s whereabouts.
A good samaritan tried to rescue the missing man, who seemed to have been caught in rip currents. The adult male received treatment on the beach for symptoms of non-fatal drowning and was transported to the hospital by EMS ambulance in stable condition, where he is now in recovery.
Police divers are continuing their ongoing search for the missing individual.
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Picture: National Sea Rescue Institute