Search continues for missing presumed drowned tourist off Umhlanga Beach

The 35-year-old Congolese man was on holiday in Durban when tragedy struck.


The search for the body of a Congolese man, presumed to have drowned at a non-swimming beach in Umhlanga, will continue on Monday morning, confirmed Metro Police Search and Rescue, Northglen News reports.

On Sunday, Netcare 911, Umhlanga Lifeguards, Metro Police Search and Rescue, NSRI Station 41 as well as the SAPS and SAPS Search and Rescue Unit were called to the scene off Bronze Beach in a joint effort to locate and recover the body.

“Paramedics responded to reports of a drowning at a non-swimming beach North off Bronze Beach,” explained Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst.

“Reports from the scene indicate that the tourist got into difficulty while swimming near the shore break.

“According to witnesses on the scene, the man had been swimming with his wife when he went under. The man has been presumed drowned due to the length he has already been submerged,” he said.

According to the NSRI, the 35-year-old man, who lives in Johannesburg, was on holiday in Durban when tragedy struck.

In a statement, the NSRI said two members of the public had earlier gone into the water to try and assist the man but they were unsuccessful.

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