BREAKING NEWS: Another toddler drowning narrowly averted at Amanzimtoti

Ward 97 Councillor Andre Beetge reported that a second four-year-old toddler narrowly escaped death by drowning on Sunday afternoon at Winklespruit.
On holiday from rural Zululand, close to the Swaziland border, the family discovered the Winklespruit pool closed on Sunday afternoon.

The pool’s closure was due to a problem identified on Saturday which will necessitate the submergible pumps which are embedded within the beach, to be exposed during the week to effect repairs.

Hoping to keep the children away from the rough surf, a family member decided to rather have them cool off in the Winklespruit River, north of the bathing area.

With the children seemingly safe, he went to collect a chair from their vehicle, only to find the child upside down in the water on his return.

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Efforts to revive the child were initiated by other beach users and she was rushed to the nearby emergency room at the Winklespruit Surf Lifesaving Club where lifeguards and emergency services performed CPR and declared her stable enough to be transported to Kingsway Hospital just before 5pm.

• READ ALSO: (January 8, 2018) Seaside holiday ends in tragedy as child (2) drowns in Amanzimtoti pool

“An accident can happen in the blink of an eye. Fortunately this incident happened in close proximity to emergency personnel who were both trained and equipped to handle the emergency. That is however not always the case, and while there is no substitute for constant supervision, we reiterate our recommendation that each and every citizen commit to acquainting themselves with basic CPR and first aid techniques. We cannot thank the first responders enough – only through their dedicated effort was another tragedy avoided,” said Cllr Andre Beetge.