Rubber-duck capsizes off East London Coast

By Ilhaam Hoosain
27 December 2007

At 6:30 this morning an inflatable rubber-duck capsized in the surf with two men on-board. They were reportedly trapped on a reef a few hundred metres off the East London shore.

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) East London , the SA Police, Netcare 911 Ambulance Services and Metro Ambulance and Rescue Services responded to Glen Eagle, 100km East of East London.

NSRI Station Commander, Geoff McGregor, said that on their arrival on-scene a Roodepoort father and son had managed to get to shore safely after their rubber-duck capsized in the surf. They required no medical attention. Police and the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) are investigating this incident.

Meanwhile yesterday Goeff said they responded to the Van Stadens River Bridge where a man jumped of the bridge into the river. The 30-year-old man was recovered from the river and the police are investigating a suspected suicide.

Warning signs

SADAG lists the following danger signals of suicide:

Previous suicide attempts: Between 20 and 50 percent of people who kill themselves had previously attempted suicide. Those who have made serious suicide attempts are at a much higher risk for actually taking their lives.

Talking about death or suicide: People who commit suicide often talk about it directly or indirectly. Be alert to such statements like, "My family would be better off without me." Sometime those contemplating suicide talk as if they are saying goodbye or going away.

Planning for suicide: Suicidal individuals often arrange to put their affairs in order. They may give away articles they value, pay of debts or a mortgage on a house, or change a will.

Depression: Although most depressed people are not suicidal, most suicidal people are depressed. Serious depression can be manifested in obvious sadness, but often it is expressed instead as a loss of pleasure or withdrawal from activities that had once been enjoyable.

Be particularly concerned about depressed persons if at least five of the following symptoms have been present nearly every day for at least two weeks:

Depressed mood, change in sleeping patterns
Change in appetite or weight
Speaking and/or moving with unusual speed or slowness
Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities
Decrease in sexual drive
Fatigue or loss of energy
Feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach, or guilt
Diminished ability to think or concentrate, slowed thinking or indecisiveness
Thoughts of death, suicide, or wishes to be dead
Additional factors that point to an increased risk for suicide in depressed individuals are:
Extreme anxiety, agitation, or enraged behaviour
Excessive drug and/or alcohol use or abuse
History of physical or emotional illness feelings of hopelessness or desperation

South African Depression and Anxiety Group website: www.anxiety.org.za