Overview
- Bystanders found the nine-year-old underwater at Kleinmond Main Beach Lagoon on Saturday, 10 October, began CPR and emergency crews carried out prolonged resuscitation but the child was declared dead.
- The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Kleinmond crew was activated after eyewitness reports and worked alongside ER24, Critical Care Medical, Overstrand Fire and Rescue and SAPS at the scene.
- Authorities handed the child’s body to the Government Health Forensic Pathology Service and police are supporting the grieving family while the inquest docket remains open.
- On the same day NSRI crews rescued a different nine-year-old and his dog at Yzerfontein Harbour after bystanders raised the alarm and the boy’s life jacket and quick response led to a safe reunion with his parents.
- Officials say many coastal deaths happen outside lifesaving areas and point to hidden nooks, rising temperatures and greater beach attendance as factors that increase risk, prompting renewed calls to swim only in monitored zones and keep close watch on children.