Tragic Loss at Kei River Mouth: Body Recovered After Search Efforts

Monica Maroun, NSRI Kei Mouth station commander, said: During ongoing search efforts at Kei River Mouth, on Monday afternoon, 9 December, the SA Police Services, Police K9 Search and Rescue (Police divers and Police K9 team), assisted by NSRI rescue swimmers, located and recovered the body of a man in the vicinity of Kei River Mouth.

The body of the man was taken into the care of Police and Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.

Condolences are conveyed to family and friends of the deceased man.

Police have opened an Inquest docket.

While formal identification of the deceased man by family is in progress, it is believed that the body of the man located and recovered is the local 22 year old male who went missing in the water at Kei River Mouth on Sunday while swimming with friends.

NSRI Kei Mouth were activated at 15h40, Sunday, 8 December, following reports of a drowning in progress.

An off duty lifeguard, on holiday in the area and who happened to be there at the time, had entered the water to search for the local man who had gone missing while swimming.

NSRI Kei Mouth rescue swimmers, KWAG (Kei Watch Action Group) and the SA Police Services responded, while NSRI East London were placed on alert.

The lifeguard was joined by NSRI Kei Mouth rescue swimmers where free dive search efforts revealed no signs of the missing man.

NSRI Kei Mouth and KWAG members conducted shoreline search efforts.

Police K9 Search and Rescue, assisted by NSRI rescue swimmers, continued in the ongoing search efforts and on Monday afternoon a body, believed to be the missing man, was located and recovered by Police, assisted by NSRI rescue swimmers.