By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
A young woman from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape has drowned in the Clanwilliam Dam in the Western Cape.
NSRI spokesperson,Craig Lambinon says the 21-year old was swimming with family members when she disappeared in the water.
“Lifeguards immediately initiated a free dive search and located and recovered her from under the water and she was brought to shore where Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation efforts commenced”, he said.
Lambinon says the woman was taken to the nearby Clanwilliam hospital where doctors and nurses continued with CPR efforts.
“After all efforts to resuscitate her were exhausted, she was declared deceased”, he said.
According to Statistics South Africa, fatal drowning is the 5th leading cause of unintentional death in the country.
“Drowning can happen in seconds. A more widespread understanding of what signs of swimming distress and drowning behaviour actually look like would help to save lives.”
7 warning signs that someone is drowning:
- Struggling to keep their face above the water in an effort to breathe – head is low in the water, tilted back, and mouth is at water level.
- Their body is in a vertical or upright position. No supportive kick, appearing as if they are bobbing.
- Has arms extended to the side pressing down for support.
- Might continue to struggle underwater, but isn’t making any headway, often facing the nearest point of safety, for example land, a person, shallow water, a buoyant support toy or a boat.
- Panicked or wide eyes – the eyes appear big, glassy and empty, unable to focus;
- Inability to respond to the question: “Are you okay?”
- Silence
Prevention is key when it comes to water safety. Many of these drownings are preventable, if only there had been proper prevention initiatives or the right equipment at hand.