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Giant 'Freak' Wave Kills 3 and Injures 17 on South Africa Beach

Marisa Sullivan
·3-min read
Paramedics carry a person on a stretcher on the Bay of Plenty Beach in Durban, South Africa, . South Africa's coastal city of Durban has closed its North Beach after three people died when they were caught in a freak wave.
Paramedics carry a person on a stretcher on the Bay of Plenty Beach in Durban, South Africa, . South Africa's coastal city of Durban has closed its North Beach after three people died when they were caught in a freak wave.

AP/Shutterstock

Three people were reportedly killed and over a dozen injured after a "freak" wave hit a beach in Durban, South Africa on Saturday.

Emergency services (EMS) member Njabulo Dlungele said that beachgoers in the oceanside city were thrown against a pier during the incident, which happened at around 5:00 p.m. on Durban's North Beach.

"EMS responded to reports of a freak wave that swept a group of beachgoers against the pier causing multiple injuries," Dlungele said Saturday. "Unfortunately 3 including a teenager was amongst those who were declared deceased at the scene.

"15 patients sustained minor/moderate injuries & were treated by various EMS before being transported to a nearby hospital," Dlungele added. "A major thank you to the great response from EMS who worked tirelessly to stabilize & rescue all the other victims. The beach was closed off."

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Despite the three confirmations, it is possible that more people may have died in the tragedy.

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"Please investigate further...my 12 year old niece died upon arrival at the hospital and she's not the only one. 3 confirmed dead is inaccurate," Durban teacher Angel Nomvalo from the Better Life Academy tweeted back at Dlungele. Following up in another tweet, she wrote: "16 kids drowned in Durban beach yesterday and no one is reporting on it."

Responding to PEOPLE, Nomvalo expanded on her statement: "I can't confirm the number [of deaths], however when we were at the hospital the nurses said that there were many families who had lost their loved ones that day and some have not been found."

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Local government leader Nomusa Dube-Ncube, offered condolences on behalf of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government in a Facebook post, Saturday.

"We are devastated by this sad loss of life," shared Dube-Ncube, adding that authorities have asked for an "urgent report" from their disaster team, who will "continue to interact with the families to support them during this difficult time."

RELATED: 22 Teenagers Found Dead Inside South African Bar. No One Knows How They Died

"It is believed that a freak wave put many into distress while swimming and they tragically drowned," he added.

Government officials returned a message to PEOPLE stating that the eThekwini Metro spokesperson Musawakhe Maisela would have "accurate numbers" on fatalities in the incident.

"The Municipality can confirm that there was a drowning incident at North Beach on 17 December where three people died," reads the eThekwini Metro Facebook page. "The incident was due to a rip current, which is a fairly common phenomenon at sea," they added.

PEOPLE reached out to multiple other parties for additional comments and confirmation on this story.