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By Frank Chemaly 
2h ago
Durban – A 44-year-old father, 14-year-old son and family dog drowned in the surf on a beach at La Mercy yesterday afternoon, Friday.
The man’s 18-year-old son was also swept away by rip currents on the beach, but managed to hold onto the rocks and return to shore.
Shortly after noon, fishermen saw that father and son were having difficulty surfing while swimming on a beach along South Beach Road. They called in the South African Reaction Unit, which dispatched reaction agents and medics to the beach.
Prem Balram of Reaction Unit SA said they found the older man in the waves upon arrival. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The unit’s helicopter took off from Verulam and searched for the teenager. “After a brief low-level search, the pilot saw the boy floating about 100 meters from where he entered the waves,” Balram said. “Paramedics recovered the body of the teenager but he showed no signs of life and he was pronounced dead.”
Balram said that according to witnesses, the father and son were swimming when they began to struggle. “His dog entered the water in what is believed to be a rescue attempt, however he also drowned. The dog’s leash was still attached to the collar.
“The 18-year-old son of the deceased was also a witness to the events. He was also swept away, but managed to grab onto the rocks and get out of the water, ”said Balram.
IPSS Medical Rescue’s Paul Herbst confirmed that the family’s father, son and dog, a pit bull cross, had drowned at La Mercy Beach. He said the boy was believed to have been dragged onto the rocks and that the father and the dog may have been trying to rescue him.
The Independent on Saturday
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