Three fishermen have been found dead after their boat capsized in the surf at Shelly Point beach in St Helena Bay, on Friday.
Emergency services were alerted to the incident at around 16:30, with multiple agencies having responded, including West Coast Medical Rescue, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), Metro EMS, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Saldanha Bay Municipality Disaster Management.
West Coast Medical Rescue confirmed the incident on social media, noting that the fishermen’s vessel “overturned in surf”.
Rescue swimmers were deployed and carried out a search before recovering the bodies. Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that the fishermen were “declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel”.
“Our deepest condolences are with the families of the deceased,” said West Coast Medical Rescue.
Their remains have been handed over to SAPS Forensic Pathology Services.
Twigg said detectives have since opened an inquest.
“St Helena Bay police registered an inquest for investigation … where a boat capsized.”
The cause of the incident has not yet been determined. Police said the circumstances remain the subject of investigation.
Members of the public with any knowledge of the events have been urged to come forward. Anyone with information should contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS mobile application anonymously.
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