A man in his 20s was presumed drowned on Saturday after being swept away by a rip current at Kleinmond on the Western Cape coast, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.

The NSRI were contacted around 5.45pm following reports of five people being swept out to see, spokesman Craig Lambinon said.

“It appears that four local men aged in their early 20s were in the water when rip currents swept two men away,” he said.

“The two friends went after them to try to help them but in the strong rip currents only three of the four men managed to get free of the rip current before managing to get safely to the beach.”

The fourth man continued to be swept out to see.

“An unidentified bystander then went into the water to attempt to rescue the remaining man who was now over 150 meters out to sea,” said Lambinon.

“The bystander reached the man but it appears that both men were now in difficulty and the unidentified bystander appears to have had no choice but to try to rescue himself and he made it to the beach safely.”

By that stage, the remaining man had disappeared under water.

Emergency services, police, and the NSRI searched extensively for the man, believed to be 20-years-old from Kleinmond.

However, no sign of the man has been found and was presumed to have drowned.

“A police dive unit have been activated to continue an ongoing search operation and police have opened an investigation,” he said.

Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy was missing at Kleinrivier lagoon, between Stanford and Voelklip, Hermanus.

The boy was one of 36 children from Langa and Khayelitsha brought to the Wortelgat camp and conference centre, on the lagoon, by a catholic welfare youth group for a camp.

Apparently, while the four camp leaders went to lunch, the children went to swim in the lagoon unattended.

Three youth group leaders, who were reportedly meant to care for the children while the leaders were at lunch, were allegedly found in their rooms while the children were swimming in the lagoon.

The camp leaders found the children at the lagoon and after rounding them up, were told that the 12-year-old had disappeared under water after the canoe he was on capsized.

The camp leaders contacted authorities, while beginning a search, with the NSRI and police also searching for the boy in the lagoon upon arrival.

No sign of the missing boy had been found with a police dive unit continuing the search.

Police were investigating. SAPA