Heartbreak as missing toddler found dead in stormwater pond
First responders and the South African Police Service initially searched the area after reports that the child had disappeared while playing.
A three-year-old boy has died after reportedly falling into a stormwater pond while playing with friends in Plettenberg Bay, with a desperate community search ending in tragedy.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Plettenberg Bay station commander and emergency services were activated at about 5:16 pm on Friday after receiving an urgent request for assistance from local first responders.
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According to NSRI communications spokesperson Craig Lambinon, the toddler had gone missing near New Horizons, bordering the N2, prompting an extensive search involving emergency services, police, community members and the child’s family.
First responders and the South African Police Service initially searched the area after reports that the child had disappeared while playing.
“On arrival on the scene, during a search and investigations, children, friends of the toddler, indicated that he had gone missing after falling into a pond of water at a stormwater reservoir,” said Lambinon.
NSRI dispatched rescue swimmers and a rescue vehicle to assist with the operation, while Plettenberg Bay Fire and Rescue Services, Western Cape Government Health EMS, Bitou Law Enforcement, Bitou Traffic Services and municipal officials also responded.
Water extraction pumps were deployed to drain the pond while rescuers searched for the child.
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“Water extrication pumps were deployed by rescue and municipal teams to drain the pond where the body of the child was located, sadly deceased,” Lambinon said.
The boy’s body was recovered in co-operation with police and Western Cape Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.
Police have opened an inquest docket to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The family, and those affected by this tragedy, are in the care of the police and municipal authorities,” Lambinon said.
The NSRI conveyed its condolences to the child’s family following the devastating loss.