Two men are missing at Strand Beach after rip currents swept them out to sea on Wednesday, 2 September, during an attempted rescue, Cape {town} Etc reports.
The men, aged 22 and 39, disappeared in the surf while trying to help a colleague who had got into difficulty, according to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI). NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the men were ‘swept out to sea in rip currents’ before disappearing in the surf zone.
The incident was reported at about 13h43 near the Helderberg Marine Protected Area and the Lourens River. NSRI Gordons Bay rescue swimmers responded immediately, while rescue craft Zelda and Spirit of Surfski were launched.
Several emergency services joined the operation, including police divers, Water Policing and Diving Services, EMS, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services and the City’s Law Enforcement Marine Unit.
Lambinon said the search included ‘*extensive air, sea and shoreline search’*efforts. He added that NSRI crews searched ‘in and beyond the surf zone’, while the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter conducted an aerial search. According to Lambinon, a local surfer stepped in to help the man who first got into trouble.
‘We believe that a local surfer, a good Samaritan, unidentified, rescued the man who was initially in distress,’ he said.
That man was treated by paramedics and released without requiring further medical care. ‘There remains no signs of the two missing men,’ Lambinon said.
Police divers and WPDS are continuing the search, while police have opened an investigation. NSRI said its ‘thoughts and care’ are with the families, friends and colleagues of the missing men.
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**Picture: **NSRI (Station 9 Gordon’s Bay) / Facebook
The post Two men missing after rip currents hit Strand Beach appeared first on Cape Town ETC.
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