Human remains found as search continues for missing New Year’s Day swimmers

Durban – Search and recovery teams have discovered unidentified human remains at Pennington Beach on KwaZulu-Natal’s south coast, where authorities have been searching for missing beachgoers since last week.

The remains are believed to be linked to a drowning incident in which five people were swept out to sea, though formal identification is still pending.

“Some remains have been discovered on the beach. At this time, we can only speculate that it is likely one of the drowning victims. They will have to wait for identification to confirm,” IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson Samantha Meyrick said.

An 18-year-old woman was rescued and is in stable condition, while a 21-year-old man was confirmed dead and another body later washed ashore near the scene.

Meanwhile, the NSRI and multiple agencies continue search operations along the KZN coastline and other affected coastal areas for several people still missing.