SUPPLIED
The damaged boat of a Mpumalanga family which was removed from the Umkhomazi river yesterday after it capsized, injuring a 69-year-old man and his nine-year-old grandson.
A holiday on the South Coast almost took a tragic turn for an Mpumalanga family yesterday when their boat capsized, injuring a 69-year-old man and his nine-year-old grandson. The boy’s 39-year-old father escaped unhurt.
The Short family, of Middelburg, who all have the same first name of John, had just launched their catamaran when it overturned in the surf, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesman Craig Lambinon said.
All three were able to swim ashore although it was later found that the child had a broken leg.
A local diver charter boat and fishermen recovered the boat and towed it to the eMkhomazi launch site safety officer for inspection by police and the SA Maritime Safety Authority.
The boy and his grandfather, who had numerous fish hooks embedded in one of his legs, were taken to Kingsway Hospital in eManzimtoti and later discharged.
Lambinon said the NSRI Durban volunteer sea rescue duty crew was activated at 7am, initially with a report that a dive charter boat with 10 people on board had capsized in the uMkhomazi River mouth.
The NSRI Durban volunteer sea rescue crew, police search and rescue, local police, Netcare 911 paramedics, KZN provincial government health emergency medical and rescue services, eThekwini fire and rescue services and ER24 ambulance service responded to the scene.
“On arrival it was found that a private 12.5m catamaran with the Short family on board had capsized,” Lambinon said.
Short’s wife, Annetjie, was with her family at the hospital yesterday.
In a brief interview father John said: “We are okay, we just want to settle down because we are still shocked.”
Police sources said a number of items, including a driver’s licence, were recovered from the river. It is believed that the family had gone to the area to fish, a hobby which Short, 39, and his son love.
His Facebook page shows himself and John jr with fishing rods and holding fish in various rivers and the sea.
