11 people rescued by R44
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11 people rescued by R44
Safari vehicle swept away by river
Better rescue pictures here
Polokwane – When a Kaingo Private Game Reserve safari vehicle carrying 11 people got swept away by the Mokolo River in Lephalale, Limpopo on Wednesday, help came from an unlikely source.
Coena Smith from Vaalwater in Limpopo, who had never used his helicopter for anything other than game capture excursions before, suddenly became the hero in the unfolding drama.
He told the paper that a friend had called him up to tell him about the incident and ask for his assistance. Without a moment’s thought, him and a colleague, Wickus Venter, hopped in the helicopter and zoomed over to the Mokolo River.
They found the 11 victims clinging to branches sticking out above the water. Smith said he would never forget the fearful expressions on their faces.
Although he was extremely nervous, he realised that they really had no choice but do the best with what they had at their disposal.
In lieu of a proper rope, they employed a cable normally used to tow vehicles, secured one end and cast the other down to the river.
It took an hour to complete the entire rescue mission, as they would pick up one of the victims, drop them in a nearby field and return to pick up another.
All 11 people were rescued, and no injuries were reported.
Coena Smith from Vaalwater in Limpopo, who had never used his helicopter for anything other than game capture excursions before, suddenly became the hero in the unfolding drama.
He told the paper that a friend had called him up to tell him about the incident and ask for his assistance. Without a moment’s thought, him and a colleague, Wickus Venter, hopped in the helicopter and zoomed over to the Mokolo River.
They found the 11 victims clinging to branches sticking out above the water. Smith said he would never forget the fearful expressions on their faces.
Although he was extremely nervous, he realised that they really had no choice but do the best with what they had at their disposal.
In lieu of a proper rope, they employed a cable normally used to tow vehicles, secured one end and cast the other down to the river.
It took an hour to complete the entire rescue mission, as they would pick up one of the victims, drop them in a nearby field and return to pick up another.
All 11 people were rescued, and no injuries were reported.
Great stuff 
. No doubt a lot of people will quote risk assessments etc but he got the job done and may have saved lives . Slightly different to over here I fear !!! We can't even save a life when they are 20ft out in a pond in 4feet of water ...even with a bunch of policemen and a trained life guard !!!!! Sad
. No doubt a lot of people will quote risk assessments etc but he got the job done and may have saved lives . Slightly different to over here I fear !!! We can't even save a life when they are 20ft out in a pond in 4feet of water ...even with a bunch of policemen and a trained life guard !!!!! Sad
