News24 | Body recovered from Knysna Lagoon after being spotted by tourists

The body of a woman was recovered from the Knysna Lagoon on Thursday. (Facebook/NSRI)

• A woman's body has been recovered from the Knysna Lagoon.
• The body was spotted by a tourist couple in the area.
• The woman has yet to be identified.

The body of a woman has been recovered from the Knysna Lagoon after it was spotted by tourists holidaying in the coastal town.

National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Knysna station commander Jerome Simonis said a foreign couple on holiday in Knysna spotted a body in the water near Belvedere on Thursday morning.

He said that NSRI rescue swimmers and boat crew, along with the police's diving unit, immediately responded while paramedics were alerted.

They found the body of a woman in her 40s in the water.

"The body of the female, sadly declared deceased, was brought to our NSRI station 12 Knysna rescue base where the body was taken into the care of Government Health Forensic Pathology Services," said Simonis.

The woman could not be unidentified.

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Simonis said the woman, who was wearing a maroon top and dark long pants, may have been fishing before the drowning.

Anyone with information that can assist in identifying the woman is urged to call Knysna Police Station on 0443026609.

Last year, authorities recovered the body of a man from the Knysna Lagoon after a lengthy search operation. The local man, in his early 20s, was reported missing after his canoe capsized.

The NSRI had rescued the man's friend the day before, after he had attempted to save the canoeist when he capsized. The man was then taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.