Police have opened an inquest docket after the lifeless body of a teenager was recovered from Strand waters earlier this week.
The incident occurred on Sunday (23 January) and the deceased who is suspected to have drowned, is believed to be a missing 16-year-old boy from Khayamandi, Stellenbosch.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Gordon’s Bay Station Commander Alan Meiklejohn said lifeguards at Strand Beach reported cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in progress on a man that was recovered from the water apparently lifeless, at 14:51.
Lifeguard Daniella Di Maio recalled being out on the water in the vicinity of the Topaz apartment block and patrolling alongside fellow lifesaver, Daniel Love when they spotted something “unusual” adrift about 200 m out to sea. “We immediately decided to investigate and as the boat got closer and closer, we realised that what usually turns out to be kelp or a seal, was a body,” she recalled.
“We pulled the body onto the boat with no signs of life, I knew that he was definitely gone. We covered his face and radioed the recovery in and requested for ambulance services to be called.”
Di Maio further recalled heading straight to the base.
As they hit the shore, the Strand Surf Lifesaving pair were met by three other lifesavers, Mila Watson, Garrick Hugo and Stephen Morbey who tirelessly applied CPR until paramedics eventually arrived.
Meiklejohn said GB Med ambulance services assisted lifeguards at the scene, but sadly after all efforts to resuscitate the man were exhausted, he was declared deceased. “It is believed that the man was claimed in a drowning incident,” he added. “The body of the man has been taken into the care of Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.”
Strand police confirmed responding to the incident at 15:17 and that the deceased was identified by a swim shorts matching the description of one worn by a teen who was reported missing by his family. According to a police spokesperson, the teen allegedly went missing during a family outing to the beach on Saturday. “When the family packed up on Saturday night, they discovered he was nowhere to be found,” said the spokesperson. “They reported him missing at the Strand Police Station around 08:00 on Sunday.”
The spokesperson added that the formal identification of the deceased has been arranged.
Meiklejohn further expressed their condolences to the family of the deceased.
