A huge wave surprises numerous bathers on the beach in Durban. More than 100 people are pulled into the sea by the suction. The rescue workers count three fatalities.
A freak wave killed at least three people on a South African beach. 17 other people were hospitalized with serious injuries, a spokesman for the emergency services in the province of KwaZulu-Natal said. Among the dead were a child aged seven or eight and a teenager. The rescue services expressed the fear that the number of victims could increase.
The accident happened on Saturday afternoon at the Bay of Plenty, a popular beach in the metropolis of Durban. The people hit by the extreme wave were pulled away from the beach and out into the sea. A spokeswoman for the South African government said 35 lifeguards and a medical team were involved in the rescue operation. More than 100 people were affected by the sudden wave.
Durban had only gradually begun to reopen its beaches in the past few weeks after they were closed due to an increased incidence of the disease-causing E. coli bacterium. The bacteria came from the city’s sewers, which had been damaged by floods in April. More than 400 people died in these floods.
