A 49-year-old man drowned after his boat capsized on the Garden Route but his wife was saved by a father and daughter who swam to her rescue.
The incident happened on Friday at Tergniet, near Klein Brak, said Andre Fraser, commander of the National Sea Rescue Institute station at Mossel Bay.
The alarm was raised by witnesses who saw the Free State couple's boat capsize in the surf, and Fraser said an NSRI rescue swimmer was first on the scene.
“He found two members of the public, believed to be a father and daughter, had launched into the surf and they were assisting a female casualty,” he said.
“They brought a 37-year-old female safely to the shore where they were met by additional NSRI and emergency services and the casualty was treated for injuries by paramedics.”
When the rescue swimmer reached the man, he was unresponsive, said Fraser. “Our rescue swimmer was able to bring the man towards rocks where additional NSRI members and paramedics assisted the man onto the shore and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) efforts commenced.
“After all efforts to resuscitate the man were exhausted he was sadly declared deceased.
“It was determined that only the husband and wife had been on the boat when it capsized. They are from Riebeeckstad, Welkom.”
Fraser said the survivor was treated in hospital and discharged, and police had opened an inquest docket.
TimesLIVE
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