Cape Town – Police divers have recovered the body of a young man who fell from a cliff into the Breede River at the weekend.
NSRI Agulhas station commander Reinard Geldenhuys said at around 7pm on Saturday, Western Cape Government Health EMS, Overberg Fire and Rescue Services and police responded to an incident at the Breede River near Swellendam where a local man had gone missing in the river after falling from a cliff.
“Local families were spending the day at the river where it appears the young man may have attempted to jump from a height into the water,” Geldenhuys said.
Overberg traffic services provided additional lighting on the N2 Breede River bridge, from where the search was conducted.
“NSRI Agulhas swift-water rescue swimmers responded and on arrival at the scene, free-dive sweeping-line search efforts were conducted in a deep section of the river that was not fast flowing, in the vicinity where it the young man had last been seen in the water,” Geldenhuys said.
The search was unsuccessful and a police dive unit was alerted. Police divers recovered the body on Sunday morning, he said.
Also at the weekend, authorities recovered a body believed to be that of a man from Somalia who went missing in the water at Knysna two weeks ago.
NSRI Knysna station commander Jerome Simonis said: “At 4.38pm on Sunday, NSRI Knysna duty crew, the police and a police dive unit were activated following reports of a body submerged in the water near the shoreline at Fountain Point, near East Head Cafe.”
The NSRI rescue craft Jaytee Rescuer IV was launched and police divers recovered the body, Simonis said.
Cape Times