A holiday turned tragic for a Grassy Park family after a dad of three drowned in a river boating accident.
Faried Adams, 45, was an avid fisherman and took his three children - 16-year-old and seven-year-old daughters and a five-year-old son - fishing on the Swartvlei Lake at Pine Lake Marina between Sedgefield and Knysna.
Spokesperson for the National Sea Rescue Institute, Craig Lambinon, says the family headed out on a fishing trip just after 4pm on Friday and his crew was called out just before 10pm.
The traumatised children say the boat that they were on had capsized, they lost sight of their father and started to swim to shore.
“At 9.45pm, NSRI Wilderness was alerted to reports of a 45-year-old Cape Town man missing in the lake at Pine Lake Marina, between Sedgefield and Knysna,” Lambinon explains.
“Reportedly, a father and his three children on holiday in George and visiting friends at Pine Lake Marina, had launched a small boat they had rented to go fishing at around 4pm.”
When the family hadn’t returned to shore by 8pm, Faried’s wife and friends started a search.
“Civilians launched a search using jetskis. During their search at approximately 8.30pm, they found the three children swimming to the shore,”Lambinon says.
“Only the young boy was wearing a lifejacket, although it has been reported that they had all been issued lifejackets. The children were brought to shore.”
The children were treated for hypothermia and shock by nurses holidaying at the resort.
“An extensive water and shoreline search commenced and two sea rescue craft and the police boat were launched onto Swartvlei. The civilians on jetskis assisted NSRI and the emergency services in a co-ordinated sweeping line search and grid search.
“After an extensive search, in the early hours of Saturday morning, the body of the man was located and recovered. The small boat and the remaining lifejackets have not been located.”
Faried’s body was brought back to Cape Town and he was buried according to Muslim rites on Saturday evening.
The Daily Voice contacted Faried’s family for comment.
However, his cousin Shafiek Benjamin says they are not ready to speak. “We would like you to respect our wishes and give us time.”