At approximately 2pm on Tuesday, 17 January, NSRI Gordon’s Bay duty crew was activated after receiving eyewitness reports of two distressed individuals in a mid-surf break at Strand Beach.
CCTV camera monitors directed rescue services to the location, and the City of Cape Town (CoCT) water rescue network was activated.
CoCT lifeguards launched into the surf and rescued one of the individuals, a 17-year-old male, who was then medically assessed by paramedics.
The duty crew and CoCT lifeguards were joined by Gordon’s Bay Med ambulance services, Western Cape Government Health EMS and their rescue squad, CoCT Law Enforcement, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services and their Fire Dive Unit, SAPS, Netcare 911 ambulance services, and the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter.
The male’s brother, aged 20 from Delft, was still missing.
A search was launched by the NSRI Gordon’s Bay sea rescue craft Zelda.
The body of the man was spotted under water on the seabed.
An NSRI rescue swimmer was deployed and pulled the man onto the rescue craft. He was brought to the Strand Lifesaving Club, where paramedics applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation efforts.
Efforts to resuscitate the male were exhausted, and the man was declared deceased.
The body has been taken into the care of government forensic pathology services.
The SAPS has opened an inquest docket.
Our sincere condolences go out to the loved ones of the deceased male.
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Picture: Cape {town} Etc gallery