Mom drowns after saving daughter, 13
2010-12-14 11:22
Mazeppa Bay - A mother of two children drowned on the Transkei Coast after rescuing her 13-year-old who had been swept away in the surf, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said on Tuesday.
The teenager was wading in knee-high water at 1 Mile Beach, Mazeppa Bay, when she was struck by an incoming wave and swept out to sea, NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said.
Her mother went into the water and managed to get her daughter out, but got into difficulty herself and went missing. With the beach practically empty, no one noticed.
The 13-year-old stayed on the beach to look out for her mother while the other daughter, aged 10, ran to the first house to raise the alarm.
Mazeppa Bay hotel management and staff were alerted and the NSRI and police were called to the scene, around 16:20 on Monday.
"The 13-year-old was found on the beach in a state of shock, but not injured and there was no sign of their mother."
An "AV 8" helicopter that had been working on Eskom power lines, and a second one carrying a rescue swimmer, were sent to the scene. The first helicopter conducted an extensive sea and shoreline search and the mother was found washed up on the beach. An NSRI medic who arrived in the second chopper confirmed she had died.
- SAPA
