Thirty six mainly foreign travellers were rescued after a whale watching boat capsized in shark-infested waters off the coast of Cape Town.
Two unnamed British women reportedly survived for more than three hours by using air pockets under the hull to breathe.
Two people were killed in the incident on Saturday after the boat overturned in rough seas off Hout Bay, 10 miles from Cape Town.
Local fishermen and other charter boats were alerted to the incident by the boat’s alarm and were able to rescue 33 people – including four children – to safety within minutes.
Hout Bay rescue officials found three women who had been trapped under the boat for several hours. Police divers found one woman, a South African, and evacuated her rapidly, but then discovered two more women trapped deeper inside the boat, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The women were among British, French and South Africans on board the Miroshge charter boat.