Police have opened an inquest docket to investigate the death of a teenager from Cape Town, who fatally drowned at Natures Valley – Bull Se Baai along the Garden Route National Park on Thursday.
According to National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, the NSRI Plettenberg Bay rescue crews were alerted about the incident and on arrival on the scene, a search commenced for the 16-year-old male who had reportedly fallen from a cliff, while on a hike.
Lambinon says the teenager had fallen into the sea, and he was missing.
During a search, an NSRI JetRIB Rescue Ray was able to navigate into the mouth of a cave, timing the incoming wave sets, where an NSRI rescue swimmer was deployed from the rescue craft into the water to investigate inside Ouma and Oupa caves – in a rising tide – with waves washing into the cave – while the rescue craft retreated.
“While searching in the cave, the rescue swimmer located the teenager who was unresponsive with critical injuries,” added Lambinon
Additional NSRI rescue swimmers and an NSRI doctor were deployed from the rescue craft into the water – they swam into the cave, timing incoming wave sets, where despite increasing wave surges in the rising tide, they secured the teenager into a floating stretcher and recovered the body of the teenager.
The body of the teenager was taken into the care of the police and the Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.
Lambinon says police have opened an inquest docket to investigate the matter.
“Condolences are conveyed to the family and friends of the deceased teenager.”
At the same time, the body of a man believed to be 27 years old was reportedly found unresponsive, floating face down in the sea offshore of Schulphoek, Hermanus on Thursday.
NSRI rescue swimmers, the SA Police Services, Overstrand Law Enforcement officers and CMC ambulance services responded directly to the scene while the NSRI Hermanus rescue craft JetRIB and the NSRI rescue craft Leonard Smith were launched.
According to Lambinon, while responding to the scene, further information indicated that the incident was related to that of a Cape Town man who had reportedly been swept off rocks by waves.
An inquest docket has been opened by police for further investigation.
