The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has confirmed that the body of the man who went missing at sea in Victoria Bay, near George, last month has been found.
On the 31 of August, a 17-year-old boy and 20-year-old man went missing while swimming, after they were believed to be caught in a rip current.
At the time of the incident, authorities received multiple calls from eyewitnesses reporting the drowning in progress.
“On arrival on the scene we found eyewitnesses indicating where 2 swimmers had disappeared in the surf zone after being swept out to sea by rip currents.”
But, despite an extensive sea and shoreline search revealed no sign of the missing two.
After three days of search, on 3 September, the body of the teenager was recovered at Victoria Bay. SAPS Water Policing and Diving Services (WPDS) recovered a body, assisted by NSRI Wilderness.
The body was taken into the care of Government Health Forensic Pathology Services and has since been confirmed to be that of the teenager.
In the latest breakthrough in its search efforts, the NSRI has confirmed that the body of the man was found on Saturday, 7 September, about 1.5 kilometres off-shore of Wilderness Beach.
According to NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon, a group of paddlers, paddling from Victoria Bay to Sedgefield, came across a body floating in the sea and the alarm was raised at 09h16.
“The body was located and recovered onto the NSRI rescue craft and brought to the NSRI rescue base where the body was taken into the care of Forensic Pathology Services.”
In a statement. the NSRI says it has learned that positive identification has been performed, confirming the body to be that of the 20-year-old male.
