Durban - As year-end school holidays approach, emergency services have pleaded with parents to keep watch over their children when they play near the water, as there is always a spike in drownings during the December holidays.
On Tuesday a 15-year-old KwaMashu boy from G section drowned in the municipal pool in the area. Despite attempts to save his life, paramedics declared him dead at the scene after his body was taken from the water.
In another incident on Tuesday, an 18-year-old boy from Tongaat drowned while swimming at a non-bathing beach, Surfers Lane, in Ballito.
The teenager was with two friends who survived.
Apparently the boy who died was drawn out to sea by a strong rip current and got into difficulty. His body had not been found last night.
KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services spokesman Robert McKenzie said drowning was one of the leading causes of accidental death among children in South Africa.
“With the dawn of the December school holidays, many people will be heading for a swim at the beach or local swimming pools. It is easy to get excited and forget about safety,” he said.
McKenzie said parents should go through water safety tips with their children before letting them swim.
He said swimming with a friend who was a good swimmer was a good idea.
“Also swim where lifeguards are on duty, just in case anything happens. Bathers are urged to swim within designated bathing areas, marked with red and yellow flagged beacons.
“Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not entrust a child’s life to another child. Teach children to always ask for permission to go near water.”
McKenzie said people had to remember that water was dangerous even to those who knew how to swim.
The Mercury
* Use IOL’s Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.