PMB Richards Bay

Richards Bay teenager recovering in hospital after drowning incident

NSRI commended Richards Bay residents Charlie Singh, Nicholas Moodley and the unidentified bystander for rescuing the teenager and Adelene Singh for raising the alarm.

PMB Richards Bay

A 13-year-old girl from Richards Bay is in the hospital recovering after being resuscitated by emergency medical services following a drowning incident near the Pump Station area of the port.

Emergency services were alerted to the girl in distress by calls from the public while a trio of good samaritans also helped with the rescue.

Richards Bay teenager requires CPR after drowning

NSRI Richards Bay duty coxswain Jacques Kruger said: “On Saturday, 5 September, while conducting routine training in Richards Bay, NSRI Richards Bay duty crew responded aboard the sea rescue craft Grindrod Rescuer to the Pump Station area in the Port of Richards Bay where a local lady, Adelene Singh, had reported a female teenager in the process of being rescued from the water by her husband and by her brother and they were being assisted by an unidentified bystander.

“MedCare 24 EMS ambulance services were activated.

“The female teenager had been observed by the locals to be in difficulty while she was swimming in the water.

“The casualty teenagers younger sister was in the water, attempting to help her.

“Adelene raised the alarm while her husband, Charlie, 43, and her brother Nicholas Moodley, 32, and an unidentified male bystander, entered the water and they managed to rescue the girl to the shore.

“They also assisted the girls sister to get to the shore.

“On NSRI Richards Bay and a MedCare 24 EMS ambulance arriving on the scene the casualty teenager, aged 13, was removed to higher ground where CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) efforts were commenced by paramedics and a pulse and spontaneous breathing was restored.

“The teenager was transported to hospital in a serious but stable condition by MedCare 24 EMS ambulance.”

NSRI commended Charlie Singh, Nicholas Moodley and the unidentified bystander for rescuing the teenager and Adelene Singh for raising the alarm.

“Their swift action contributed to saving the teenagers life.

“The teenager remains in hospital and she is reported to be awake and recovering,” Kruger said.

NSRI note the absence of pink rescue buoy

NSRI are concerned that one of their pink rescue buoy that is supposed to reside on a pole at the location where this drowning in progress incident occurred is missing, and in this case, the buoy may have been used during the bystander rescue.

“NSRI appeal to the public to only remove an NSRI pink rescue buoy from its pole in a life-threatening emergency and we appeal to anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing pink rescue buoy, at the Pump Station in Richards Bay, to contact NSRI, or, anyone who has a pink rescue buoy can return the rescue buoy to any Police station, to the NSRI or to any surf shop.

“Anyone who knows the whereabouts of a pink rescue buoy that is not on its pole, as intended to be on stand-by for life-threatening emergencies, can contact NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) on 0870949774,” Kruger urged.