Durban – Two teenagers were rescued by family members and a Good Samaritan after they got into difficulty while in the surf on their boards as a result of a rip current in the sea in front of Emberton Way in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon, said the Ballito duty crew were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at about 5.24pm.
Lambinon said both NSRI Ballito rescue swimmers and IPSS Medical Rescue responded.
He said it was reported that a group of four 16-year-olds, two boys and two girls, were in the water on their boards.
Upon arrival at the scene, Lambinon said a boy and a girl from Hillcrest were safely out of the water and were attended to by paramedics.
“They were released into the care of the father of the girl, he is a doctor,” he said.
Lambinon further explained that three of the teens had exited the water but one of the girls was caught in rip currents.
He said one of the boys went back in to assist her and they both were caught in rip currents.
“The father of the girl and his brother went to their assistance while an unidentified man entered the water with the NSRI pink rescue buoy that is stationed at the beach by Emberton Way, Ballito
“The brother was able to assist the male (teen) from the water, while the unidentified Good Samaritan assisted the female (teen) from the water using the NSRI pink rescue buoy. The father was also able to assist to bring them out of the water,” said Lambinon.
NSRI commended the rescue efforts for both of the teenagers.
“This brings the number of people that we know of who have been rescued with the help of a Pink Buoy to 152. All in water rescues have been successful and no harm has come to any of the rescuers who have used a Pink Buoy to help someone in danger of drowning.”
IOL reported on Tuesday that seven-year-old Hannah Grace Chetty drowned at uMhlanga Beach more than a week ago after she was pulled into the sea by a string wave.
In the report, Wendy Chetty, from Parlock, said she was walking along the beach after celebrating Hannah’s birthday in a nearby park with the seven-year-old and her two older siblings when the incident occured.
Chetty said she turned to tell the children that it was time to leave after receiving a call from her husband warning that the wind had picked up when a freak wave knocked them off their feet.
“All I could see was my kids being taken by this wave. My husband ran to our rescue and managed to save both the elder kids, but Hannah was taken far in by another freak wave… Someone else managed to help me,” she said in the report.