flyboy2
5th Dec 2005, 03:30
They needed a pilot !!
Two trapped in mid-air for 7hrs2005-12-04 23:29:02http://www.news24.com/Images/Photos/20051204232836Cablecar_Hartbeespoort.gifTwo women - one of whom has a fear of heights - say "Never again!" after being trapped for seven hours in a cablecar at Hartbeespoort. Johannesburg - One of two passengers had a fear of heights and another refused to ever again put foot in a cablecar after they were stranded for seven hours at Hartbeespoort.
But, both women were in good spirits when rescuers reached them about seven hours after a cablecar accident in North West on Saturday.
The two women, who were marking matric exam papers at Hartbeespoort, were ascending in a cablecar about 16:00 when their outing suddenly went wrong.
Apparently a cablecar on top of the mountain was "derailed" by a gust of wind and crashed into the cable station.
A paraglider pilot in the car was unhurt, but the derailment caused the brakes of two other cable cars to jam and the whole system came to a halt.
Futher down the cable, the two women and - a few metres above the ground - a young couple, were stuck in their cablecars.
Rescued in pitch darkness
Emergency workers built a construction underneath the young couple's cablecar and they managed to get down.
The two women higher up on the cable were suspended out of reach and had to wait for hours for rescuers to get to them in pitch darkness.
Rob Thomas, a rescue organiser for the South African Mountain Club, said rescuers found the women in good spirits in the cablecar.
"They had made the best of an interesting situation."
Thomas said it was impossible to use a helicopter to rescue the women.
The only one available was an air force Oryx, but it would have caused too much wind, and would have endangered the lives of rescuers climbing up towards the two women.
Rescuers lowered the women from the cablecar with ropes, while three other rescuers waited for them on the ground.
Karlien Eveleigh, who went up the mountain in a cablecar with husband Fred shortly before the accident, said they heard a loud bang minutes after disembarking and saw the top cablecar crash into the cable station.
Cablecar management clams up
A group of regular visitors showed them which path to take to get down the mountain.
"I'm just glad it didn't happen to us. I'll return, but not soon," said Eveleigh.
Management of the cablecar company refused the media entrance to the site and didn't want to talk about the incident or its cause.
The department of labour is expected to do a complete investigation.
Less than two years ago, two people were seriously injured after the cablecar in which they were travelling fell 18m to the ground when it slipped off the cable.
News24/Beeld
:D :O
Two trapped in mid-air for 7hrs2005-12-04 23:29:02http://www.news24.com/Images/Photos/20051204232836Cablecar_Hartbeespoort.gifTwo women - one of whom has a fear of heights - say "Never again!" after being trapped for seven hours in a cablecar at Hartbeespoort. Johannesburg - One of two passengers had a fear of heights and another refused to ever again put foot in a cablecar after they were stranded for seven hours at Hartbeespoort.
But, both women were in good spirits when rescuers reached them about seven hours after a cablecar accident in North West on Saturday.
The two women, who were marking matric exam papers at Hartbeespoort, were ascending in a cablecar about 16:00 when their outing suddenly went wrong.
Apparently a cablecar on top of the mountain was "derailed" by a gust of wind and crashed into the cable station.
A paraglider pilot in the car was unhurt, but the derailment caused the brakes of two other cable cars to jam and the whole system came to a halt.
Futher down the cable, the two women and - a few metres above the ground - a young couple, were stuck in their cablecars.
Rescued in pitch darkness
Emergency workers built a construction underneath the young couple's cablecar and they managed to get down.
The two women higher up on the cable were suspended out of reach and had to wait for hours for rescuers to get to them in pitch darkness.
Rob Thomas, a rescue organiser for the South African Mountain Club, said rescuers found the women in good spirits in the cablecar.
"They had made the best of an interesting situation."
Thomas said it was impossible to use a helicopter to rescue the women.
The only one available was an air force Oryx, but it would have caused too much wind, and would have endangered the lives of rescuers climbing up towards the two women.
Rescuers lowered the women from the cablecar with ropes, while three other rescuers waited for them on the ground.
Karlien Eveleigh, who went up the mountain in a cablecar with husband Fred shortly before the accident, said they heard a loud bang minutes after disembarking and saw the top cablecar crash into the cable station.
Cablecar management clams up
A group of regular visitors showed them which path to take to get down the mountain.
"I'm just glad it didn't happen to us. I'll return, but not soon," said Eveleigh.
Management of the cablecar company refused the media entrance to the site and didn't want to talk about the incident or its cause.
The department of labour is expected to do a complete investigation.
Less than two years ago, two people were seriously injured after the cablecar in which they were travelling fell 18m to the ground when it slipped off the cable.
News24/Beeld
:D :O