A DISTURBING video has emerged of a man racially abusing a group of young African teenagers moments after their friend drowned at Glenelg on Monday.

The video, posted on Facebook and viewed by more than 180,000 people, shows a caucasian man taunting the young African people near the Glenelg Jetty, where the body of Eliase Nimbona, 15, had been found just prior.

The man, dressed in shorts and a blue T-shirt, can be heard taunting the young people by calling them “black c--ts”.

“You’re all weak f---ing weak, you weak f---ing dogs ... f---ing black c--ts,” he is heard to say.

A group of teenagers then swarm upon the man, throwing a flurry of punches upon the man — who is not seriously hurt and does not physically retaliate.

media_camera Violence breaks out at Glenelg after the drowning of a boy, 15. Pictures: Facebook

The man who posted the video on Facebook responded to comments suggesting the caucasian man had not entirely provoked the incident with his racist taunts.

“I can assure you all that nothing was done to him prior to any of this. He was the one instigating the whole thing and was only “harassed” after what he said,” the Facebook poster wrote.

“Even tho (sic) he was also the one filming and mocking the grieving families and all. but that’s none of my business.”

SA Police said they had arrested a 31-year-old West Croydon man over the incident, which occurred in front of dozens of people already reeling from the latest drowning tragedy on Adelaide beaches.

The man was charged with disorderly behaviour and carrying an offensive weapon after a knife was found in his possession.

He was granted police bail to appear in Adelaide Magistrates Court in February.

The spokeswoman said inquiries were continuing and urged anyone who witnessed the incident or captured any vision of it to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The death of the teenage boy came just over a week after the drowning of Indian student Nitisha Negi, 15, who drowned while swimming at the Glenelg breakwater.

Two boys, also originally from Burundi, drowned at Glenelg on New Year’s Day 2016, not far from the scene of Monday’s tragedy.

Police Minister Chris Picton described Monday’s incident as “quite disturbing”.

“(Police) were of course dealing with the tragic passing of this young boy and I would have thought that when a horrible incident like that occurs that people would let the police and ambulance officers go about their job,” Mr Picton said.

“Unfortunately they had to deal with this other incident as well.”