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By ANA Reporter 
5h ago
Johannesburg – Five people are believed to have drowned and two others were seriously injured in two separate boating accidents on the Vaal River and Vaal Dam on Saturday afternoon, paramedics said.
Five men in their 30s are believed to have drowned after their boat capsized in the Vaal River near Spider Valley Road near Vereeniging in Gauteng, ER24 spokesman Ross Campbell said in a statement.
Two people, a man and a woman, who are also believed to be in their 30s, survived with minor injuries, he said.
ER24 paramedics were on the scene at 5.50pm, along with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and local metro emergency medical services (EMS). One body was recovered and four are still missing.
“Metro EMS declared the man dead upon arrival. The two survivors refused to be transported to the hospital. The man explained that the boat was taking in water when it sank. The SAPS was on site for the investigation and waiting for divers from rescue to begin recovery. ” “Campbell said.
In the other accident, a 41-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man were seriously injured when a jet ski and a speedboat collided in Vaal Marina on Saturday afternoon. They were both in the speedboat when the incident occurred.
ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene, along with another private service, at 3.20 pm. The injured people had been carried to shore by passersby in another boat.
“The patient was found to have suffered a head injury, while the male patient had suffered multiple injuries, both requiring advanced life support interventions. They were transferred by medical helicopter to a private hospital for additional care.”
Two other people on the speedboat, a younger man and woman, were found to have suffered minor injuries and were treated by the other private service at the scene. The man on the jet ski was unharmed in the incident, Campbell said.
Netcare 911 spokesman Shawn Herbst said reports from the scene indicated that “an adult man operating a jet ski lost control and collided with a motorboat.”
“As medics worked to stabilize all patients on the scene, the specialized Netcare 2 and Netcare 3 helicopters were activated to airlift the most seriously injured patients,” Herbst said.
African News Agency (ANA)
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