Three people have drowned and 17 others have been seriously injured at the Durban beachfront in KwaZulu-Natal.
It’s alleged that several people were washed out to sea by a freak wave.
KZN Emergency Services spokesperson Robert McKenzie says, “Earlier this afternoon, emergency services responded to the eThekwini beachfront where a freak wave had washed several people out to sea,” said McKenzie.
“Sadly three people have drowned as a result paramedics have treated a total of 17 patients at the scene who were in a serious and critical condition before transporting them through to hospital for continued medical care,” he said.
The incident occurred on Saturday at the Bay of Plenty and one of the dead was a child around 7 or 8 years old, while those injured are “in serious or critical condition”.
Three people killed by a freak wave at Durban’s north beach:
In a separate incident, IPSS Search and Rescue alongside IPSS Medical Rescue responded to a near-drowning incident at a beach in the Ballito area.
A man got into difficulty whilst swimming and was pulled out of the water by a KDM Lifeguard and a member of the public.
