Eight hikers were rescued after being trapped by a flooded river gorge while hiking between Worcester and Ceres in the Western Cape.
According to Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR), the group had started hiking along the Witels trail – a favourite hike-and-swim route – and were expected to exit below Michell’s Pass on Thursday.
But, after downpours over the weekend, they alerted their families via satellite phone that the level of the river had risen dramatically and that they would be delayed. They also said they had run low on food.
Two of their friends attempted to assist by swimming across the Breede River, below Michell’s Pass, to access them and take them food, WSAR spokesperson David Nel said. But they too, became trapped.
“WSAR received a call for assistance on Saturday afternoon, and a multi-disciplinary team of 22 rescuers was dispatched to locate and rescue the stranded hikers,” he added.
The raging water exiting the Witels River prevented the hikers from entering the kloof on Saturday evening, but at first light on Sunday, a small team flew over to locate the stranded group.
The hikers and their equipment were airlifted to a landing zone at the Winterberg Mountain Inn.
The two friends were taken across the swollen Breede River in inflatable crafts.
Incident commander John Davids extended thanks to the rescue services who responded and praised the collaboration required to execute a successful rescue under such challenging conditions.
WSAR Spokesperson David Nel: “We would like to say a big thank you to the Winterberg Mountain Inn for hosting and looking after our team members. We would also like to thank the Witzenberg Guest Farm for kindly providing accommodation for rescuers on Saturday evening.
“These partners rallied to our assistance – a valuable team effort.”
• Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) is a network of government agencies, and civilian volunteer organisations, who partner in search and rescue.
• Hikers and members of the public are reminded to save the WSAR Emergency Contact Number: 021 937 0300.
News24
