Rescue teams from the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) responded to an emergency at Milnerton Beach on Sunday, 24 November, where two swimmers were caught in rip currents, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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The incident, reported at 6:32 pm, triggered a coordinated response involving multiple rescue agencies.
Rescue teams from the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) responded to an emergency at Milnerton Beach on Sunday, 24 November, where two swimmers were caught in rip currents. The incident, reported at 6:32 pm, triggered a coordinated response involving multiple rescue agencies.
The NSRI Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) was alerted by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) Cape Town Port Control, Milnerton Surf Lifesaving Club, and Cape Town Fire Control, following reports from a local restaurant and eyewitnesses of a drowning in progress.
NSRI Melkbosstrand, Milnerton Surf lifeguards, NSRI Table Bay, NSRI Bakoven, and Coastwatchers West Coast all mobilised, deploying various rescue resources, including the Milnerton Surf lifeguards’ IRB (Inflatable Rescue Boat), NSRI Melkbosstrand’s Rotaries Gift and Sea Ranger 13, and NSRI Bakoven’s Rescue 2 Alpha. Additional NSRI rescue swimmers and the EMS/AMS Skymed helicopter with a Metro Rescue diver also joined the effort.
One of the swimmers, a 23-year-old man, was rescued by a bystander using an NSRI Pink Rescue Buoy. He was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-fatal drowning symptoms but was otherwise unharmed. Tragically, the second swimmer, a 44-year-old man from Belhar, remains missing.
Extensive air, sea, and shoreline searches were conducted, with NSRI rescue swimmers and Milnerton Surf lifeguards performing free dive searches. Despite these efforts, which extended into the night, the missing man was not found.
Search operations by the NSRI and other agencies are ongoing.
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Picture: Brenton Geach / Gallo Images
