A seven-year-old girl drowned at the Durban View Park beach in Umhlanga on Sunday afternoon.
Witnesses at the scene said the girl got into trouble while in the water and was pulled out by members of the public.
“We don’t really know what happened as we were all on the shore at the time. Then suddenly we heard people shouting and screaming. We saw some people getting into the water and trying to help the girl. They tried their best and managed to get her out of the water but I think it was too late,” said Jade Mungroo.
Ms Mungroo and her family were walking along the shore when the incident happened just before 3pm. She said not many people had been swimming as it is a non-swimming beach.
“The girl was not even far into the water, but there was a large wave that came up unexpectedly,” said Ms Mungroo.
Medi Response spokesman Janus van Schalkwyk said when paramedics arrived at the scene, members of the public had already pulled the girl out of the surf.
“Lifeguards were already administering CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and were assisted by paramedics. Despite their extensive efforts, the girl was declared deceased,” said Mr Van Schalkwyk.
Gareth Naidoo of KZN VIP Emergency services said their response team in the area had been notified about the incident by onlookers.
“Our team in the area were alerted by really distraught members of the public who had seen the little girl get swept away by this wave. We tried to assist but our attempts were in vain as she passed on,” said Mr Naidoo.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), earlier this year installed pink rescue buoys in that area following two drownings there.
The dangerous hot spots – between the Durban View Park and the viewing deck at Breaker’s Resort – were identified by the NSRI and lifeguards.
Kuhle Mkhize, spokesman for the NSRI said the pink buoys were placed strategically at selected beaches and dams to assist swimmers in trouble if no lifeguards were on duty.
“In the event of someone getting into difficulty in the water, they can be used as emergency flotation until help arrives. Their bright pink colour allows them to be easily seen,” said Mr Mkhize.
He said each pink rescue buoy was housed on a sturdy pole with signage showing how they should be used, as well as the NSRI’s emergency number and the buoy’s unique identification number, which helps rescue services to identify the location of the emergency. ID numbers and NSRI’s contact telephone numbers are also embossed on the buoys themselves so they can easily be returned to their posts after usage, or if they are lost or stolen.
