Three incidents took place yesterday, Saturday, 5 November, at Ingwe Beach, St Lucia, during the all girls Queen of the Ocean fishing competition.
Candace Edgar, NSRI St Lucia deputy station commander, said:
At 06h00 a vessel capsized in the surf line while attempting to launch to go to sea with one male and 5 females, from Burgersford, aged between 35 and 44.
Our duty crew, on the beach at the time, launched our rescue jet rib and Netcare 911 ambulance services were activated.
4 of the casualties swam to shore where they were assisted in shallow surf by NSRI rescue swimmers and once ashore they were taken into the care .
One person was rescued onto the NSRI rescue craft and one female remained trapped in the cabin of the capsized boat.
NSRI rescue swimmers attempted to rescue the female trapped under the boat. After the casualty boat washed closer to shore the boat was able to be lifted and the female was freed from her entrapment.
NSRI medics and Netcare 911 paramedics, on the beach, assisted all 6 casualties. 3 were transported to hospital in Richards Bay in stable conditions by Netcare 911 ambulance for further treatment.
Then at 08h30 NSRI St Lucia responded to reports of a local man, believed to be aged in his late 20’s, who had reportedly gone missing in the sea by the backline. He was attempting to salvage fishing equipment and he reportedly got caught in rip currents before being washed out to sea and he was last seen being pushed under water by waves.
Our NSRI jetrib was launched and all local boats in the area assisted with the search.
Despite an extensive search there remains no sign of the missing man.
Police Search and Rescue are continuing in an ongoing search.
Thoughts are with the family of the missing man in this difficult time.
At 09h20 a call was intercepted on the VHF marine radio reporting a fishing vessel that had lost motor power to one engine and was needing to return to the shore. Our NSRI jetrib went to assist the vessel with her 6 crew onboard.
The 6 adult crew, 2 males and 4 females, from Standerton, the 4 females were brought to shore aboard our rescue craft before the 2 males brought their their fishing vessel ashore on one motor and beached without incident.
