Surf Life Saving wants to close dangerous Glenelg beach

Surf lifesavers want greater powers to close dangerous beaches, after the third death in less than two years at a breakwater off Adelaide.

Indian junior soccer star Nitisha Negi drowned off Glenelg on Sunday night and rescuers found her body on Monday morning.

Two 11-year-old boys drowned at the same spot on New Year’s Day last year, with lifesavers blaming ‘unnatural’ movement in the water that swirls and causes currents.

Indian junior soccer star Nitisha Negi drowned off Glenelg, in Adelaide, on Sunday night and rescuers found her body on Monday morning 

Surf lifesavers want greater powers to close dangerous beaches, after she became the third child to drown off the breakwater in less than two years

Surf lifesavers want greater powers to close dangerous beaches, after she became the third child to drown off the breakwater in less than two years

SA Surf Life Saving acting emergency operations manager Ben Laurenson said it was a dangerous area of the beach and they needed authority to close it.

‘In South Australia, the surf lifesavers don’t have the authority to close the beach but if that’s something that the state government would be looking at, we will certainly welcome it,’ he said.

‘If it needs to be closed to save someone’s life then it’s worth it.’ 

The local Holdfast Bay Council and SA Government were now considering it, but he’d prefer swimmers avoided the northern end of the popular city beach altogether.

‘History’s shown that it is a dangerous area of the beach,’ he said.

Mayor Stephen Patterson said it would work with the SA Government and seek advice on the best way to keep the beach safe.

The 15-year-old's body was recovered near the breakwater at Glenelg Beach early Monday morning, following an extensive search by emergency services

The 15-year-old’s body was recovered near the breakwater at Glenelg Beach early Monday morning, following an extensive search by emergency services

Surf lifesavers were able to pull the remaining four girls from the water, with two 17-year-olds taken to Flinders Medical Centre, one in critical condition (Pictured is a police diver) 

Surf lifesavers were able to pull the remaining four girls from the water, with two 17-year-olds taken to Flinders Medical Centre, one in critical condition (Pictured is a police diver) 

Premier Jay Weatherill said more needed to be done to protect tourists who didn’t understand the risks of the wild SA coast.

‘It seems that especially people that come into our state from other places, new arrivals, don’t seem to understand the threat posed by our coastline,’ he told the Adelaide Advertiser.

‘It seems benign enough. But there are parts of the South Australian coastline that are hazardous and the signs are there for a reason.’

Nitisha was in Adelaide to play soccer at the Pacific School Games and was believed to either have been swept off the rocks by a wave or slipped.

She was with four other girls at Holdfast Marina at Glenelg on Sunday evening when they all got into trouble.

A shattered woman was led away from the search area at Glenelg Beach by police

A shattered woman was led away from the search area at Glenelg Beach by police

Three other children have died in the area in the last decade, including two young boys who got into trouble near the jetty on January 1, 2016 and a boy who died in 2007 

Three other children have died in the area in the last decade, including two young boys who got into trouble near the jetty on January 1, 2016 and a boy who died in 2007 

The other girls were rescued quickly with two 17-year-olds taken to the Flinders Medical Centre, one in a critical condition and the other stable.

Another 17-year-old was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a serious but stable condition and a 12-year-old was admitted to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in a stable condition.

All the girls were in Adelaide for the week-long games which involved about 4,000 school children from 15 countries competing in 11 sports.

Indian consular officials travelled from Sydney to Adelaide to provide support for the group.

SA Sports Minister Leon Bignell on Monday said the state government would pay to fly Nitisha’s body back to her family in India.

‘We’ve stepped in as a government with counselling services, which are already underway, and we’ll also pay the costs of getting this young girl back to India,’ he said. 

Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk