New Year’s Day drownings: Four dead, three missing

Four people, including a teenager, have died and three have gone missing in several drowning incidents on New Year’s Day.

A 17-year-old Grahamstown male drowned in Port Alfred, while an elderly man was declared dead in the Bay Hall Area, Richards Bay Port, the National Sea Rescue Institute said in a statement.

In Table Bay, Cape Town, the body of a 26-year-old man was found at the Milnerton Lagoon Beach while rescuers were searching for a missing 18-year-old.

The 26-year-old, from Delft, had not been reported missing and his friends had not realised he had been in difficulty.

The search for the missing 18-year-old continues.

The police dive unit is also searching for a 10-year-old Gugulethu child who was swept out to sea at Clifton Beach, NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said.

In Port Elizabeth, a 14-year-old boy has gone missing in the surf at Smelly Creek, near Deal Party.

A witness had tried to rescue the teenager when he got into difficulties, but he lost his grip in the waves. The search for his body is ongoing.

Meanwhile, a man in his late forties drowned in a swimming pool in Bellville, Cape Town on Friday, according to ER24 paramedics.

Thulani Gqirana, News24