A 17-year-old French rugby player is feared drowned after being swept away by strong rip currents at Cape Point’s Diaz Beach on Wednesday last week.
The French Rugby Federation confirmed in a statement that Medhi Narjissi, a member of the country’s under-18 rugby team, had been in South Africa to play in the “International Series” and went missing after being swept away by a wave while swimming with teammates.
National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson Craig Lambinon said in a statement that Table Mountain National Park rangers had alerted the NSRI emergency operations centre at 3.16pm about someone in trouble in the water, prompting an extensive search-and-rescue operation.
“From their vantage point on the cliffs, TMNP rangers spotted two people struggling against rip currents in the surf zone. One person managed to reach the shore, but the second, identified as Medhi, disappeared in the water,” he said.
The City’s water rescue network, along with NSRI Simon’s Town and NSRI Hout Bay duty crews, had been activated immediately, he said.
Cape Medical Response sent an ambulance, a rescue vehicle and a paramedic response vehicle to the scene.
Two NSRI rescue craft were launched from Simon’s Town Station 10 and Hout Bay Station 8.
SAPS, NSRI rescue vehicles and an EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter with a rescue diver on board also responded to the emergency.
“Despite the extensive search efforts, including challenging conditions with 3-to-4-metre swells and a 15-knot northerly wind, there were no signs of the missing teenager,” Mr Lambinon said.
He told the Echo that as of 4pm on Monday August 12, police divers were still searching for the boy.
