At around 12h50, Friday, 7th April, during an extensive search and rescue operation, 3 and a half year old Chulu, who went missing yesterday at around 16h30, has been found safe and well.
2 NSRI St Francis Bay trainee crew members found Chulu lying under some bushes up the creek of the Krom River and Chulu was brought to safety.
The child has been airlifted to hospital by a Police helicopter as a precaution to be be examined by doctors but no injuries are suspected and the child appears to be healthy.
It is suspected that Chulu had wandered off from home before getting lost up the river.
Police are suspecting no foul play was involved although an investigation remains open.
Family are overjoyed and relieved and NSRI express sincere thanks to the massive response by the St Francis Bay Police, a Police K-9 Search and Rescue team, the Police Air Wing, Smhart Security, the NSRI volunteer crews from NSRI St Francis Bay and from NSRI Jeffreys Bay and the community and community organisations who came together to help in this extensive search.
At 18h00, Thursday, 06 April, NSRI Jeffreys Bay and NSRI St Francis Bay, assisted by Smhart Security, the SA Police Services and a large community response, initiated a search for a 3 and a half years old child that had gone missing in the vicinity of the Krom River, on the Paradise Beach side of the Krom River, from an area known as Kromme River Shareblock.
The child, believed to be from Port Elizabeth, and staying with family at Kromme River Shareblock, had last been seen at approximately 16h30 and family had started to search but after no sign of the child could be found Smhart Security, NSRI and Police, assisted by a large community response joined the search.
Despite an extensive shoreline and neighbourhood search no sign of the child has been found and the search has continued through the night.
The sea rescue craft Spirit of St Francis II, a Police helicopter and a Police K-9 search and rescue team have joined in the search this morning and NSRI rescue swimmers have been deployed into the sea to conduct a free dive sweeping line search in the water and search crews continue to search the neighbourhood and on the land side.
While there are suspicions that the child may have wanted to go swimming at the time of the child’s disappearance it remains unknown if the child is missing on the land or in the water and all possibilities are being considered in the ongoing search operation.
Alan Straton
Latest posts by Alan Straton (see all)
- Why Digital Equity Is South Africa’s New Frontier for Women’s Empowerment – By Matebe Chisiza-Asukile and Natasha Mboyisa - 25 September 2026
- New Champions Rise at the 2026 Street Lines Skate Tournament - 23 September 2026
- When Manufacturers Have a ‘Beef’ Then Both Suffer - 23 September 2026
- How Much Are You Worth per Year to Your Bank? - 23 September 2026
- Better Business Processes. Stronger Workplace Skills. Smarter AI. Greater Business Productivity. - 23 September 2026
