Eight Rescued After Boat Sinks in Cape Town

Eight rescued after boat sinks in Cape Town

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) — Eight people, three of them foreigners, were rescued after their chartered boat sank 400 meters off Clifton beach in Cape Town on Tuesday afternoon.

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesman Craig Lambinon said the NSRI rushed to the scene following reports by the National Ports Authority about a chartered boat with eight occupants taking water and sinking at 12:17 p.m..

Lifeguards swam out to assist all eight (seven males and a female) who were swimming towards shore after the boat sank.

Of the eight people who were assisted to swim towards shore was11- year-old Josh Evans and his father Gareth Evans from Wales, said Lambinon.

He said the boy’s mother swam safely to shore unassisted, alongwith five others. A number of onlookers on Clifton Beach also wentinto the surf to assist.

None of the crew required medical treatment.

The cause of the sinking had not yet been confirmed, but reports said the boat was stationary when it began taking water.

(c) 2007 Xinhua News Agency – CEIS. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.