This past Wednesday, NSRI rescue teams waded through rising floodwaters to bring a trapped security guard safely back to dry land.
Gqeberha, South Africa (10 May 2026) – Early Wednesday morning, 6 May, the NSRI Gqeberha duty crew was activated following an urgent request from the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA). A security guard had been reported trapped in a building on the shoreline, positioned below the M4 Freeway near the North End Lighthouse.
NSRI rescue swimmers and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) Fire and Rescue Services responded immediately. To reach the site, teams had to navigate their vehicles through 1.5 kilometres of floodwaters along the shoreline roadway. Upon arrival, they discovered the building flooded waist-deep, with a security guard trapped inside.
“The building, surrounded by a high barbed wire fence, could not be accessed, with a security guard holding the keys to the gate, but was trapped inside the building, which was flooded,” reported Simon Williams, NSRI Gqeberha Deputy Station Commander.
Rescuers established communication with the man, instructing him to remain in place until help arrived.
Williams detailed that rescue swimmers removed a section of barbed wire and climbed over the fence to reach the 29-year-old man. The man, who remained in good spirits, was fitted with personal protective gear and a lifejacket. As the swimmers waded him toward the exit, they found the gate lock submerged and the key unusable.
“Our rescue swimmers broke the lock, using bolt cutters, where the man was waded to safety.”
Once safely on high ground, not injured but only a bit cold, the man was warmed and safely removed from the area, and no further assistance was required, successfully concluding the operation at 5:02 am.
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