PLETTENBERG BAY — A local community is in mourning after a three-year-old toddler tragically lost his life after falling into a stormwater reservoir pond in New Horizons on Friday evening, 17 July.
The incident triggered a massive multi-agency search and recovery operation involving volunteer emergency services, municipal authorities, and law enforcement.
Sudden disappearance during playtime
The tragedy unfolded late Friday afternoon when the young boy went missing while playing with a group of friends in an area of New Horizons bordering the N2 highway.
Plettenberg Bay First Responders, a volunteer community emergency medical services, and the South African Police Service (SAPS) were first to arrive on the scene following reports of the missing child. During the initial search, the toddler’s young friends informed authorities and family members that the boy had fallen into a deep pond at the storm water reservoir.
Coordinated emergency mobilisation
At 17:16, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Plettenberg Bay duty crew was urgently activated to assist. The NSRI dispatched rescue swimmers and a rescue vehicle equipped with long poles from the SA Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) to systematically search the bottom of the reservoir.
The scale of the incident drew a massive response from local emergency and municipal services, including, Plettenberg Bay Fire and Rescue Services, Western Cape Government Health EMS ambulance and rescue squads, Bitou Law Enforcement and Traffic Services and Bitou Municipality authorities.
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To locate the child, rescue teams and municipal workers deployed heavy-duty water extrication pumps to drain the stormwater pond. Tragically, once the water was lowered, the body of the toddler was discovered.
Investigation and community support
The child’s body was recovered in a joint effort between the police and Government Health Forensic Services, and has since been taken into the care of Forensic Pathology Services.
SAPS has officially opened an inquest docket to fully investigate the circumstances surrounding the drowning.
Local authorities and police are currently providing support and care to the grieving family and those affected by the tragedy. The NSRI and responding agencies have extended their deepest condolences to the family of the deceased child.
