It has been a week since a rip current swept teenager Amaan Khan out to sea, at Umzumbe Beach, in Hibberdene on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast and the search for him continues.
Amaan, 13, from Kharwastan in Chatsworth, was holidaying with his family on the south coast when he drowned last week Saturday.
During the harrowing moments that unfolded, Amaan's uncles, Asif and Ridwaan Khan, attempted to rescue him. Asif drowned in his heroic effort but was later pulled from the water. Despite frantic resuscitation attempts, he could not be revived. This devastating turn of events has left the family grappling with grief.
Saleem Adam, Amaan's dad, said it was a nightmare watching everything unfold.
"It happened in 90 seconds. I was not close enough to him to help him. The police and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) searched but could not find Amaan," he said.
Adam said the family had been on holiday in Hibberdene for the weekend when 10 of them went to the beach on Saturday.
He said some of them were in the water when Amaan was caught in the current and pulled out to sea.
He said extensive searches were conducted extending 20km to the north and south of the area, but has proved fruitless thus far.
"Private individuals have been assisting like Reaction Unit South Africa who did a helicopter search. There has been the use of drones, as well as local swimmers assisting but still nothing. Unfortunately the weather conditions were not good for divers to conduct searches. As much as I want my boy back, I don't want to endanger anyone’s life while assisting in bad weather conditions.
"We are not giving up hope in finding Amaan. His mum, older siblings and family are heartbroken and grieving. We need closure," said Adam.
He said Amaan, who was a Hollywoodbets Dolphins club and hub player, was a brilliant cricketer.
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