Man drowns at the Mole

 The Namibian police in the
Erongo Region are still searching for the remains of a man who drowned over the
last weekend at the popular beach in Swakopmund.

Members of the
Swakopmund Emer­gency Services along with lifeguards attempted in vain to
retrieve the body of a man who drowned at the Mole.

According to a member
of the Swa­kopmund Fire Brigade, Adri Goosen, the incident happened between
15h30 and 16h00 on Sunday. He said the de­ceased and his brother went swimming
in the sea and they got into trouble.“We do not know
exactly what tran­spired but the person who managed to swim to shore told
police and mem­bers of the emergency services on the scene that he tried to
save his brother at one stage. He said he tried to drag his brother to safety
but had to give up in order to survive himself,” he said.

A crowd gathered on
the beach to find out what the outcome of the tragedy might be. Members of the Sea Rescue
Institute of Namibia however handed the scene over to the police when all hope
of rescuing the man, later identified as the 28-year-old David Thomas, was
lost. Police officers assisted by divers went in search of the body but the sea
already claimed its victim. As it usually happens
when the body of a drowning victim is not immediately found, members of the
police and emer­gency services then starts to wait for the body to wash up on
the beach. They scour the beaches north of the incident on a regular basis
because the currents usually take the remains north where it washes up.

Goosen said if any
member of the public comes across the remains on the beach the police should
immediately be informed.Chief Inspector
Erastus Iikuyu, the regional crime investigation coordinator confirmed the
drowning and also urged members of the public to assist with the search for the
unfortunate man’s remains.

The victim was a
resident of Swakop­mund and it is suspected that he and his brother were not
proficient swimmers.According to Goosen
the seabed at the beach can be very dangerous. He said people do not realise
that the bottom in the surf could drop very quickly and that once overcome by
waves and cur­rents many find it difficult to reach the safety of dry land.