Witness at Glenelg says group in trouble were representing India in Pacific School Games

WITNESSES who were the first to alert lifesavers to girls struggling at Glenelg beach say the group was from India attending the Pacific School Games that ended on Saturday.

• Tragic ending: Body of missing student found

WITNESSES who were the first to alert lifesavers to girls struggling at Glenelg beach say the group was from India attending the Pacific School Games that ended on Saturday.

Five teenage girls were swimming on Sunday evening near breakwater rocks off Glenelg when they got into difficulty.

Four were rescued that night but tragically, the body of the fifth girl, 15, was found on Monday morning.

Frida Meares, 12, was one of the first to alert lifesavers after seeing girls waving in the water near the rocks at Holdfast Marina about 5.50pm on Sunday.

“We heard screams and people in distress,” she said.

“Without thinking, I started to run towards the lifesavers ... they all stood up when they saw me.

Her mother, Jo Scard, from Canberra, said she saw several youths running up and down the beach and later spoke to one boy, who told her the group were from India attending the Pacific School Games that ended on Saturday.

Desperate search for girl missing off Glenelg beach

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“He told me they were near the flags and floating towards the rocks,” she said.

“He said the missing girl was a soccer player.”

Ms Scard said she saw one man on the beach run into the water and rescue a person. Then she saw three people — two girls — lying on the beach being treated by paramedics.

“Paramedics appeared to be talking to one of them ... when the tide came in, (paramedics) had to drag them in,” she said.

“(The group) was pretty agitated. Some of the girls were asking for goggles so they could go look for (the missing girl).”

The area is near where two boys drowned on New Year’s Day last year.

Tahni Olofsson, 17, of Marion, said people were searching for the missing girl for hours.

“We just heard there were five kids and they rescued four but one was still missing,” she said.

“They were hysterical.

Paulene Decazanove was visibly upset when she heard what had happened after seeing ambulances on the beach.

“It looks like a big family,” she said. “I saw people coming from the ocean with someone in their arms.

“That’s when I knew something was wrong.”