Three die in South Africa navy submarine tragedy

Three South African navy submariners have died and four others injured after being washed off the deck of a submarine by high waves.

The vessel was off the coast near Cape Town when the seven crew members were swept away.

A helicopter was delivering supplies during a refuelling operation at the time, the AFP news agency reports.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in a statement said the submariners were participating in a navy exercise at the time of the incident.

“All seven members were recovered, but sadly there were three fatalities, with one senior officer in critical condition," the army said.

Five others were saved in a subsequent rescue operation, it added.

Police said an inquest was opened after the naval incident.

The accident came after a weekend of high winds and rough seas. The South African Weather Service had warned of “damaging waves” in Cape Town on Wednesday.

This article originally appeared in BBC News.