Young man missing in Gqeberha after being caught in rip current at Blue Water Bay
A 23-year-old went missing after swimming in Blue Water Bay, Gqeberha, on Friday.
The man and his 19-year-old sister were caught in rip currents.
The young woman was pulled to safety by a fisherman, but the brother remains missing according to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) in Gqeberha. The woman was uninjured.
According to NSRI Gqeberha deputy station commander Simon Williams, the incident occurred just before sunset.
Missing Young Man in Blue Water Bay: Ongoing Search Efforts by NSRI and Emergency Services
“At 6.49pm, Friday, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Blue Water Bay, Gqeberha,” said Williams.
“The NSRI rescue vehicle, with NSRI rescue swimmers, responded and the NSRI rescue craft Eddie Beaumont II was launched.
“The SA Police Services, EC Government Health EMS and Relay ambulance services responded.”
Once NSRI arrived on the scene, they were joined by local police and emergency services as well as the Coastal Water Rescue (CWR) and Blue Water Bay lifeguards.
The search began for the young man, but there has been no sign of him as he remains missing.
“Despite an extensive sea and shoreline search, there remain no signs of the missing man.
“Police Search and Rescue are tasked to continue ongoing search efforts, assisted by Blue Water Bay lifeguards.
“Our thoughts and care are with the family and friends of the missing man in this difficult time.”
This follows a number of incidents reported on New Year’s Day all along South Africa’s coastline, leaving four dead.
In Pennington on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, two 21-year-old men died after being caught in a rip current, and three men still remained missing on Thursday.