False Alarm off Shelly Beach

Pieter Coetzee , NSRI Shelly Beach deputy station commander, said: 'At 21h00 (Wednesday, 25th September) our crew were activated following eye-witness reports of red distress flares sighted off Manaba Beach, near to Margate.'As we prepared to launch our crew were also dispatched to respond by road. On arrival on-scene it was found that Chinese lanterns were being set off from the beach. They were understandably mistaken by eye-witnesses as red distress flares.'NSRI continue to urge people not to set off Chinese lanterns along the coast. File image