From first light this morning, Friday, 10th August, an extensive search is continuing for the missing persons at Keurbooms River Mouth, Plettenberg Bay.
NSRI sea rescue craft and shore patrols, Police, a Police Dive Unit and a Western Cape Government Health Emergency Medical Services (EMS) rescue team and their EMS Skymed helicopter are on-scene searching.
Shortly after the search commenced today the body of the 8 year old child was found and recovered by NSRI rescuers and a Forensic Pathology Services team are en route to the NSRI Plettenberg Bay rescue station where the body of the child will be handed into their care.
The father of the child has been informed that the body of his child was located and NSRI and rescue services have extended sincerest condolences for the loss of his wife and child.
The fate and whereabouts of the boat and the 4 missing adult males remains unknown and an extensive search and rescue operation continues.
NSRI rescue swimmers are onboard the EMS Skymed helicopter that is searching.
It remains unknown what transpired to cause this incident but the location of the two bodies found (the body of the female found and recovered last night in the surf in the river mouth and the body of the child found and recovered this morning in the surf in between the two river mouths) has led NSRI to suspect that their small boat was washed out through the river mouth but NSRI are not speculating as to what may have caused this incident or if the boat had capsized.
Confirmation is also being sought to determine if there were in fact six people onboard the boat (or only five) but at this stage whether there remain 4 adult males missing or three adult males missing this will not change the intensive search that is underway at present.
From what we understand, although the full details are not yet confirmed, 5 people (believed to be family members – 3 adult males, an adult female and her son) and a friend (an adult male), believed to all be from Plettenberg Bay, had gone fishing on the river on a small river boat (a tiller boat) yesterday but when they failed to return the alarm was raised by their family members sparking a massive search and rescue operation.
A more detailed and thorough analysis of the situation is being investigated and Police have opened an inquest docket.
See original media release below.
UPDATES TO FOLLOW.
Craig Lambinon
Sea Rescue Communications
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