Three people have died at the North Beach in Durban after a number of beach goers were swept away by a freak wave on Saturday afternoon.

KZN VIP reported that a strong wave swept unsuspecting beach goers and slammed them onto the pier.

Many people were injured while others were saved from drowning. Sadly, three people drowned after they got injured and could not pull themselves from the water.

“Sadly 3 people including a teenager was amongst those who were declared deceased at the scene,” said KZN VIP.

“Approximately 15 others sustained minor to moderate injuries and were treated by various ambulance services before being transported to hospital for further medical.

Read also: Another man drown at KZN beach.

The beach was closed off for the day following the mass drowning.