A 16-year-old girl, of Phoenix, drowned at the Umdloti Main beach this afternoon. Two other women swimming with her at the time were pulled from the water and were uninjured.
The incident will be the subject of a South African Police Force investigation. It is thought that the three got into distress while swimming and the teen was pulled out towards the break line by a strong rip current.
A man seated on the balcony of his flat, which lies on the beachfront, heard the frantic screams of bystanders and he rushed to assist. Using a body board he swam out to the teenager. He stated that as he neared her she disappeared beneath the water. The man dove and managed to drag her to the surface and thereafter to shore using his board as a flotation device.
Once ashore the man started CPR, and when Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene they took over the resuscitation effort. Paramedics worked fervently to revive the girl for nearly an hour but unfortunately she died at the scene.
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