Police divers have recovered the body of one of the young men who went missing in the surf whilst swimming at Victoria Bay in George over the weekend.
According to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), SAPS’ Water Policing and Diving Services (WPDS) recovered the body believed to be that of the 17-year-old teen on Tuesday afternoon.
The WPDS unit was working in conjunction with the NSRI Wilderness Search and Rescue as well as other emergency rescue teams to locate the bodies of the missing teen and his 20-year-old friend.
The two friends who were part of a group of six friends who reportedly went missing on Saturday afternoon whilst swimming in the surf where they were caught in rip currents.
A statement released by the NSRI’s Wilderness division on Sunday said that an extensive shoreline search was initiated by rescue services in an attempt to locate the pair to no avail.
However, on Tuesday police received a call from a beachgoer who said that they had come across a body on the beach.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said: “A member of the public alerted the authorities after the body washed out on the beach.”
“We believe that the body is that of a 17-year-old boy who had drowned on Saturday. The body was retrieved by SAPS divers at Wilderness Beach on Tuesday at about 6 pm.”
“Initially, police had opened an enquiry docket following the disappearance of the two men on Victoria Bay on Saturday. However, the enquiry will now change to an Inquest, following the discovery of the body,” Pojie said.
The search for the 20-year-old man would continue.
According to the George Herald, the 17-year-old was identified as Xhanti Salmani and the 20-year-old as Sanele Adonis.