Tragic recovery: Body of missing boy found at Mdumbi Beach
Image: Supplied
The body of a young boy who went missing at Mdumbi Beach in the Eastern Cape on Sunday, June 1, has been recovered.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) confirmed the body of the seven-year-old boy was located and recovered on Tuesday evening by local fishermen.
The child was reported missing on Sunday after he and three other children were caught in rip currents while swimming during the outgoing tide.
Off-duty lifeguards responded promptly, while volunteers from Mdumbi Backpackers, who had been surfing nearby, noticed the group of children in distress and rescued three girls from the surf using their boards. Sadly, indications suggested a fourth child remained missing in the water.
NSRI spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, said the boy's body was found in the vicinity of where he went missing days earlier.
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'The family of the child, police, and Government Health Forensic Pathology Services attended the scene where the body of the child was located and recovered. The body of the child was taken into the care of the police and the Government Health Forensic Pathology Services. Police have opened an Inquest docket. Our thoughts, care, and compassion are with the family and everyone involved. The fishermen, who located the body and raised the alarm, have been commended,' Lambinon said.
A 13-year-old girl, who had been among those rescued, was treated on the beach for non-fatal drowning symptoms and transported to hospital in a serious but stable condition by a family member. Tragically, she died on Monday.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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