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- A man drowned at Nahoon Beach in East London over the weekend.
- Police said he and a group of people were swimming while they were intoxicated.
- According to the municipality, the beach was closed at the time due to a sewage spillage.
A 22-year-old man drowned at Nahoon Beach in East London over the weekend when he and a group of friends went swimming while they were drunk, according to police.
The Buffalo City Metro said the incident happened at a time when the beach was closed to the public due to a sewage spillage.
Municipality spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said the group of bathers were jumping into the water from rocks when the incident happened.
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The man's lifeless body was found about 200 metres from where they were jumping – an area that was out of lifeguards' sight.
"We do have lifeguards that walk to that side of the water to monitor the tides and get people out of the water, especially when the beach is closed, but it is not an area [where] we put our resources. We just want to discourage the jumping from the rocks," Ngwenya added.
Police said they received the drowning report at about 15:00 on Saturday.
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By the time the officers arrived at the scene, divers had already retrieved the man from the water.
"It is alleged that the victim was among a group of friends swimming. While swimming, the victim experienced problems in the water and efforts to save him proved futile, and he was pulled away by the strong current of the waves. His body was recovered by police divers. The group was under the influence of alcohol while in the water," said police spokesperson, Captain Hazel Mqala.
An inquest docket was opened.
