No sign has yet been found of a 12-year-old child who went missing while swimming in the sea at Strand Beach over the weekend, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said on Sunday.
NSRI Strand duty crew was activated at 2.36pm on Saturday by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) following reports of a drowning in progress at Strand Beach, NSRI Strand station commander Alan Meiklejohn said.
The sea rescue craft Spirit of Surfski and Mercantile Spirit were launched and the sea rescue vehicle and NSRI rescue swimmers, Western Cape Health Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the EMS rescue squad, the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service and their rescue dive unit, law enforcement agencies responded.
On arrival on the scene, an air, sea, and shoreline search for a missing child commenced.
“The child, reported to be among a group of local friends who were swimming together, was reported by eyewitnesses to have disappeared underwater after appearing to be in difficulty in the surf while swimming.
“Despite an extensive search, sadly no sign of the child has been found and a police dive unit is continuing in an ongoing search supported by NSRI Strand, Strand Surf Lifesaving, CoCT Law Enforcement, Marine, and Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service dive unit. Trauma counsellors assisted the family of the missing child and our thoughts are with the family during this time,” Meiklejohn said.
African News Agency