The National Sea Rescue Institute and the SA Navy have warned the public and fishermen against high waves along the KwaZulu-Natal Coast and parts of the Eastern Cape following the tsunamis which killed tens of thousands of people in Asia and East Africa.
SABC news reported on Monday that beaches had been flooded at Coffee Bay and Port St Johns.
In KwaZulu-Natal, ski boats and diving boats had been evacuated
at Sodwana Bay following high swells.
Meanwhile, two South Africans have been confirmed killed in Phuket island off Thailand, following an earthquake and subsequent tidal waves that hit Southeast Asia on Sunday, the department of foreign affairs said on Monday.
”Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has been advised officially of the deaths of two South Africans in Phuket,” departmental spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said.
SABC news named the two dead South Africans as Johannesburgers Daphney Coetzee and Paul Sender, who died when walls of water hit them while they were holidaying in Phuket.
Two South Africans were still missing in Chennai, India. Two others who were missing in Sri Lanka have been located, he said. At least 300 South Africans are believed to be stranded in Thailand.
SA rescue team to fly out
A rescue team will fly to Phuket on Tuesday morning to bring back 198 South Africans, said Netcare 911 spokesperson Mande Toubkin.
A 747 Boeing — on loan from Nationwide airlines — would leave Johannesburg International Airport at 11am on Tuesday.
”We are sending five doctors, five nurses and two paramedics,” she said.
Mamoepa added that two foreign affairs consular service officers and two home affairs officials would also be on the plane.
They would provide welfare and temporary travel documents for those South Africans trapped on the island.
Toubkin said they would bring back those with minor injuries and women and children.
”We will have to leave some behind. We believe there are some 300 South Africans stranded but we only have 198 seats.”
The rescue team is expected to spend four or five hours in Phuket rounding up the stranded, before making the eight hour journey back to Johannesburg.
The rescue mission is a joint effort between Netcare 911, Foreign Affairs and Discovery Health.
South Africa’s Ambassador to Thailand, Buli Ndzimande Pheto travelled to Phuket earlier on Monday to co-ordinate the evacuation of South Africans on the island.
She has already met with those affected.
By late Monday 23 500 people in the eight affected countries were reported to have perished in the largest earthquake in forty years in the region.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions said on Monday it was horrified at the number of people who had lost their lives in the disaster.
”We send our condolences to all those who have lost loved ones. We urge all governments concerned and the United Nations to do everything possible to help those who are injured or homeless,” Cosatu said.
”We further call upon the international community urgently to investigate ways of providing advanced warning of such catastrophes in order to reduce the number of casualties.” – Sapa