At 16h00, Thursday, 10 December, NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew were activated following observations of a drowning in progress at Strand Beach.City of Cape Town (CoCT) Surf Lifesaving lifeguards initiated a rescue operation.NSRI Gordons Bay, with 2 sea rescue craft and rescue swimmers, CoCT Fire and Rescue Services, GB Med Sec ambulance services, ER24 ambulance services, WC Government Health EMS, SA Police Services, CoCT Law Enforcement, Strand Neighbourhood Watch and the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter responded to join the lifeguards who were on the scene.
It appears that a 9 year old female child and a 16 year old female family member, from Mfuleni, got into difficulty in the surf while swimming.A 19 year old male family member attempted to assist them and it is believed that he also got into difficulty in the water before disappearing in the surf line.Lifeguards rescued the 9 year old child and the female teenager and initiated CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) efforts on the child who was transported to a local hospital by GB Med Sec ambulance in a critical condition and the child was later airlifted to a Cape Town hospital by the EMS/AMS Skymed helicopter and we believe that the child remains in a critical condition.
Rescue resources joined lifeguards searching for the missing male teenager.Despite an extensive search including NSRI sea rescue craft, CoCT Fire and Rescue Services dive unit, utilising a rescue craft, Lifeguards, utilising rescue craft, a shoreline search and rescue swimmers, lifeguards and rescue divers conducting sweeping line free dive search efforts and an air search there remains no sign of the missing male teenager.A Police Dive Unit are tasked to continue in an ongoing search operation for the missing teenager.
