A freak wave at the Bay of Plenty, a popular beach in South Africa’s southeastern city of Durban has killed three swimmers and left 17 others seriously injured on Saturday.
“There was a freak wave that washed some people to sea, three have drowned and 17 people have been taken to hospital,” Robert McKenzie, spokesman of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial first responders services told the press.
“We are devastated by the sad loss of life. We have asked for an urgent report from our disaster teams and eThekwini Municipality,” KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said.
He said one of the dead was a child around 7 or 8 years old, while those injured are “in serious or critical condition.”
The emergency services said the incident occurred around 5 p.m and they were concerned that the toll would rise after the “uncommon” event.
Durban has gradually been reopening its beaches after they were shut due to high levels of E. coli coming from the city’s sewer system, which was badly damaged by deadly floods earlier this year. The floods killed more than 400 people in April.
Dube-Ncube has also called for a full investigation into the freak wave.