Freak wave blamed for child’s untimely death

What was supposed to be a quiet and fun family day out to the beach turned into any parents’ worst nightmare after a seven-year-old child had washed out to sea and her limp body recovered hours later by an unknown beachgoer in Umhlanga, on Sunday.

Hannah Chetty celebrated her seventh birthday on Tuesday last week and wanted to spend the weekend with her Parlock family out and about.

Family spokesperson and cousin, Josephine Nathaniel, said that Chetty’s death had left the family traumatised. She described the events which unfolded before the incident that occurred on Sunday afternoon.

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“I went along with Hannah, her two siblings and their mum to the beach while her dad met us there. The children and their mum, Wendy, decided to dip their toes into the water at the edge of the shore,” explained Nathaniel.

It is believed that the tide took a turn for the worse which pulled the four family members into the water.

“All of them were pulled into the water. Hannah’s dad rushed to their aid in an attempt to pull them back safely and managed to pull his wife first. A wave pushed their son to the shore while he held onto his daughters so they not to go any further into the ocean,” Nathaniel said.

However, in the gushing water, it is alleged that the dad, Reuben Chetty, had let go of his youngest child’s hand.

Nathaniel explained, “Following this, he pulled his elder daughter towards him, but Hannah had already quickly drifted away from him into deeper waters. A good Samaritan who had a floater volunteered to go into the water and save her. We tried getting hold of any lifeguards, but there weren’t any around us.”

After Hannah had exited the water, paramedics tried for around an hour, using CPR and oxygen, trying to revive her.

“They tried for so long. We had hope because when we saw her come out of the water, she was conscious. This has really broken our family and our hearts,” explained Nathaniel.

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KZN VIP spokesperson, Gareth Naidoo, said, “We were alerted to a drowning incident by onlookers who watched helplessly as they couldn’t get to a child who was swept away by a wave at Umhlanga Beach. Lifeguards were alerted together with Netcare 911 emergency teams, and managed to recover the child, commencing resuscitation for more than 30 minutes on scene. After all attempts made to save the child, she was sadly declared dead. Moments leading up to the incident are unconfirmed and pending police investigation. Our heartfelt condolences to the family and also those who were traumatised while trying to assist. Thank you to all emergency services who responded.”

Funeral arrangements are underway and are planned for this week.

According to Nathaniel, the family is humbly requesting any assistance in their time of need. She can be contacted on 071-354-5144.