Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) successfully conducted two mountain rescues. Image: Arrive Alive
Two mountain rescues conducted in one day
Wilderness Search and Rescue conducted two successful mountain rescues in one day, hikers are urged to prioritise safety
Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) successfully conducted two mountain rescues. Image: Arrive Alive
On Wednesday, 28 December, dedicated teams of professionals and volunteers from Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) successfully conducted two mountain rescues.
Two successful mountain rescues
A 25-year-old man from Mpumalanga fell and injured himself on Lions Head on Wednesday morning. He slipped and fell while descending above the staples.
To proceed, a call to the emergency number was made.
He was hoisted down to his position by a WSAR team aboard the Western Cape Department of Health EMS/AMS rescue helicopter.
The man was evaluated before being loaded onto a stretcher and flown up into the helicopter.
He was flown to a nearby landing zone and then transferred to an ambulance before being taken to the hospital.
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Another rescue team was sent to help a member of a local hiking group who had injured his knee.
He got injured while descending from the Elephant’s Eye Cave above Silvermine.
He was helped down the trail to a nearby vehicle and then driven back to his vehicle.
Hikers urged to prioritise safety
According to David Nel, a spokesperson for Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR), the more popular mountain trails will likely see an increase in the number of hikers following the Christmas weekend.
It’s not unusual for the number of hikers on popular trails to increase during this time of year.
Hikers are encouraged to be patient and stay on trails.
They are further are asked to resist the urge to take shortcuts or overtake other hikers.
WSAR encourages all mountain users to plan ahead of time, avoid hiking during the hottest hours of the day, bring plenty of water, and save the emergency contact number 021 937 0300 to their phones.
“We ask that all wilderness enthusiasts help us by sharing the emergency contact number – and share our posts on the #IAmWildernessSafe campaign,” Nel said.
