Body of man whose car rolled into the ocean from dunes retrieved

Staff Reporter

THE Namibian Police in the Erongo region have retrieved the body of a 53-year-old tour guide who drowned after losing control of his car while driving on top of dunes, resulting in the car rolling downhill into the ocean.

According to Deputy Commissioner Erastus Ikuyu, the incident allegedly took place yesterday, Friday, 23 February 2024, at approximately 09:00, about 50 kilometres south of Walvis Bay in the area of Sandwich Harbour.

"It is alleged that a tour guide driver, a 53-year-old South African male with Namibian citizenship (deceased) from a local Adventure Tour Company in Walvis Bay, was driving a Toyota GD6 pickup motor on top of the dunes alone in the car while the other occupants (passengers) were walking on foot in the dunes. The driver allegedly lost control over the vehicle, and the vehicle rolled down from the dunes and fell into the seawater," Ikuyu said.

He added that the driver drowned, and his body was retrieved from the submerged car by Nampol and civilian divers. "The vehicle is still in the water. The tour guide was having six tourists, taking them to Sandwich Harbour for sightseeing. The body was taken to Walvis Bay Police mortuary for a postmortem examination to be done to determine the cause of death. The next of kin of the deceased person are not informed yet as they have to be traced in South Africa. Investigation continues," Ikuyu concluded.