Cape Town - A 10-year-old girl has drowned at a Cape Town beach at the weekend, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) reported.
According to Alan Meiklejohn, the NSRI Gordons Bay Station Commander, the girl had been swimming with her brother when she may have waded too deep into the water on Saturday.
Her brother raised the alarm.
“At 11.09am, NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew and GB Med ambulance services were activated following reports from City of Cape Town (CoCT) lifeguards at Gordons Bay Main Beach of a drowning in progress.
“The CoCT water rescue network was activated, and CoCT Law Enforcement, the SA Police Services, Western Cape Government Health Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and ER24 ambulance services also responded.
“The sea rescue craft Boetie Woltemade was launched.
“On arrival on the scene, lifeguards had initiated a search for a local 10-year-old female missing in the surf,” Meiklejohn said.
He said NSRI crew members and emergency services joined in the search, and the girl was located and recovered from the water approximately 50 metres across the beach line from where she had been in the water.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts were commenced, and the girl was transported to hospital by an ER24 ambulance in critical condition.
CPR continued to be administered in the ambulance en route to hospital.
According to ER24 spokesperson Werner Vermaak, the girl was declared dead at the hospital.
“When she was found, she had no signs of life. Paramedics initiated CPR and rushed her to a nearby hospital. Sadly, she was declared dead shortly after arrival at hospital.
“The events leading up to the drowning are not known,” Vermaak said.
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