ST LUCIA:
Jan Hoffman, NSRI St Lucia station commander, said: At 15h05, Saturday, 2 July, NSRI St Lucia duty crew were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Jabula Beach, St Lucia.
NSRI St Lucia duty crew responded to our base to prepare a sea rescue craft to be towed to the scene while NSRI rescue swimmers and local community volunteer first responder medics responded directly to the scene.
2 off-duty trainee NSRI crew members, who were on the beach at the time, and who noticed a man appearing to be in difficulty in the surf line, raised the alarm and both launched into the water and they rescued the 22 year old man safely to the beach.
When additional NSRI members and medics arrived on the scene the casualty was safely out of the water and he was checked by NSRI medics and showing signs of non-fatal drowning symptoms we transported to our NSRI rescue station and a Netcare 911 ambulance was activated.
The man was transported to hospital by Netcare 911 in a stable condition and he is expected to make a full recovery.
We commend our 2 NSRI trainees for their quick actions.
PORT EDWARD:
Gert du Plessis, NSRI port edward station commander, said:
At 12h17, Sunday, 3 July, NSRI Port Edward duty crew were activated following reports from Kwa-Zulu Private ambulance services of an incident on the Umtamvuna hiking trail where a female had fallen down a gorge and reportedly suffered an injury.
While our NSRI Port Edward duty crew mobilised Police Search and Rescue, Ray Nkonyeni Fire and Rescue Services, Kwa-Zulu Private ambulance services and Med-Evac ambulance services responded.
Our NSRI jet-rib, Spirit of Surfski VII, was launched at The Pont and responded up the Umtamvuna River while Police Search and Rescue, Fire and Rescue and paramedics hiked along the Umtamvuna hiking trail towards the patient.
While we were responding along the river we were alerted to a private craft that appeared to have located the incident scene along the river banks.
Our NSRI rescue craft came ashore at that location and NSRI crew hiked a short distance inland where we found the patient in the care of the rescuers that had hiked to the scene.
The patient was secured into a Stokes basket stretcher and hiked to our NSRI rescue craft.
In a stable condition the 49 year old patient was loaded onto our NSRI rescue craft and in the care of a Kwa-Zulu Private paramedic the patient was brought to The Pont aboard our NSRI rescue craft.
The patient was transferred into a Kwa-Zulu Private ambulance and she has been transported to hospital for further treatment.
NSRI commend all services that assisted in this incident.
