Weekend drowning in Wilderness

A local man drowned this weekend in the Touw River Lagoon despite all efforts to rescue him.

NSRI Wilderness duty controller Mike Vonk says duty crew were activated at 15:49 on Sunday 1 April, following reports of a drowning in progress in the Touw River lagoon.

SANParks rangers, the SA police and EMS were also activated.

“Our rescue swimmers responded to the scene and on arrival it was confirmed that a local man aged in his late 40s, at a picnic with friends, had entered the water to swim and he got into difficulty.

“A friend had entered the water to try to help him but also got into difficulties and the friend was able to get out of the water unassisted and he was not injured. The man who drowned had at that stage disappeared under the water,” explains Vonk.

Two NSRI rescue swimmers entered the water and immediately started search efforts. They were joined by a further four NSRI rescue swimmers and all six conducted a coordinated sweeping line search until the man was located.

After he was recovered from the water, the NSRI medical crew initiated CPR, but all efforts were exhausted and the man was declared deceased by EMS paramedics.

The body of the man has been taken into the care of the forensic pathology services and police have opened an inquest docket.

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