Teenager Missing in Swartkops River – Search Efforts Continue

Police divers are continuing in ongoing search efforts for a local teenager missing at Swartkops River, near to the Tiger Bay launch site.

At 09h15, Friday, 10 October, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew were activated following reports of a teenager, a local male, age 17, missing in the Swartkops River, near to the Tiger Bay launch site.

The Nelson Mandela Bay water rescue network was activated.

NSRI rescue swimmers, an NSRI Gqeberha rescue vehicle towing the NSRI Gqeberha rescue craft JetRIB, CWR (Coastal Water Rescue), the SA Police Services and Police WPDS (Water Policing and Diving Services), EC Government Health EMS and Gardmed ambulance services, responded.

On arrival on the scene the NSRI rescue craft JetRIB and 2 CWR rescue CROCS (rescue craft) were launched onto the river, in a strong outgoing Spring tide, to search for the missing teenager, while shoreline search efforts were continued.

Police divers (WPDS), supported by the NSRI rescue craft JetRIB, scuba dive searched.

Despite extensive surface water, scuba dive and shoreline search efforts, there remains no signs of the missing teenager.

It appears that a group of children were fishing along the river banks since the early hours of the morning. We believe that some of the children were swimming when a child stepped off a ledge under the water by a sandbank and appeared to disappear under water.

The local male teenager had gone into the water to assist but we believe that the child had managed to get to the river bank safely when the teenager, reaching the child at the river bank, may then have stepped off the same ledge, by the sandbank, and disappeared. He has not been seen since.

Police divers (WPDS) are continuing in ongoing search efforts.

Thoughts, care and compassion, are with the family and friends of the missing teenager in this difficult time.