Cape Town - Condolences have gone out to the family of Mitchells Plain resident, Reza Yon, 48, who died a hero while saving three teenagers who got caught in a rip current at Mnandi Beach.
NSRI Strandfontein deputy station commander, Arno Constance, said two teenagers, aged 13 and a 14-year-old were treated by EMS paramedics for hypothermia and shock after the incident on Sunday afternoon.
Constance said Yon noticed that the teenagers were caught in a rip current, and swam out with a body board for them.
Yon got into difficulty after giving the teens the body board.
“Without doubt, the flotation of the body board contributed to saving the three teenagers' lives,” said Constance.
“He reached the three teenagers in the water, providing them with the body board to use as flotation before he got into difficulty.
“Reza Yon is commended for saving the lives of the three teenagers.
“Condolences are conveyed to the family,” he said.
After receiving a distress call the NSRI Strandfontein sea rescue craft, Rescue 16 Alpha was launched while NSRI rescue swimmers responded directly to the scene.
“On arrival on the scene the NSRI rescue craft rescued two teenagers who were located in the back breaker surf zone, they were using a body board for flotation. They were rescued onto the NSRI rescue craft. Both were hypothermic and in shock.
“While bringing the two teenagers to the shore they indicated that their friend, also a teenager, had managed to reach the shore, while an adult male had been in the water assisting them before they had lost sight of the adult male.
“The NSRI rescue craft crew spotted the adult male in the mid break surf zone, he was recovered onto the sea rescue craft. He was found to be lifeless.
“They brought the casualties to the shore aboard the NSRI rescue craft where CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) efforts were commenced, by NSRI medics, on the adult male.
“By that stage the SA Police Services and WC Government Health EMS had been activated and they had arrived on the scene together with additional NSRI rescue crew.
“Paramedics continued with CPR on the 48-year-old local man, but sadly, after all efforts to resuscitate the man were exhausted, he was declared deceased,” Constance said.
Cape Times