Two rescued after boat collision and flare alert
20/05/2021
Five men have been rescued after flares brought help when two boats collided off the Western Cape, in South Africa.
Sadly, despite an extensive search, one man is still missing at the time of writing, says NSRI Hout Bay station commander, Geoff Stevens.
The collision happened one evening in May off the Hout Bay coast, after red distress signals were seen out at sea between The Sentinel and Chapman’s Peak.
NSRI Hout Bay and NSRI Kommetjie dispatched rescue boats and rushed to the scene. The SA Police Services, Law Enforcement, WC Government Health EMS, Life Healthcare response paramedics and ER24 ambulance services were activated.
It appears that four crew member on one of the boats and two from the other fell into the water when the boats collided.
Local fishing boats, Fish Keeper, Cap Tuner II and Fish Tails, that were in the area at the time, went to their aid and rescued two casualties and took them to shore. They then returned to the scene and transported three casualties and an NSRI paramedic to the shore.
The three sea rescue craft and the local fishing boats searched for the missing man. The NSRI commended the local fishing community for their assistance and said their thoughts were with the family of the missing man in this difficult time.
