Cape Town - Fourteen hikers were assisted to safety after being cut off by heavy rains on the Tsiskamma hiking trail, on the North Eastern side of the Bloukrans River.
NSRI said their Oyster Bay and Storms River duty crews were alerted by their Knysna colleagues of the situation where nine females and five males were cut off by swollen, flooded rivers, and unable to continue on their hike to reach safety on Friday.
“Then on reaching the Elandsbos River, the hikers had found that river to be swiftly flowing and they were unable to cross. They had then backtracked to the Lottering River which was by that stage also swollen and they were unable to cross the river finding themselves trapped in between the two rivers in the Rushes Pass Valley.
“MTO (Mountains to Sea) Forestry also received information of the hiking party trapped. Plettenberg Bay First Responders and NSRI Plettenberg Bay had been alerted,” he said.
The teams had to suspend rescue efforts on Friday night as they were unable to reach the hikers due to the floods.
“During the night NSRI Plettenberg Bay duty controller Laurent Eray remained in contact with the casualty hiking party advising them of the rescue operation in the planning stages.
The hikers, who were well equipped, were informed to remain where they were, between the Lottering and Elandsbos Rivers, and stay warm.
“They are commended for organising themselves to keep in contact with Laurent Eray during the night, on the hour, every hour, they took turns to stand watch, and to gather firewood.
“They had arranged to keep feeding a fire for warmth. This was achieved despite wet fire wood that they had collected during the night,” he said.
Lambinon said that on Saturday, a Joint Operations Command Centre (JOCC) was set up at the MTO Lottering Forestry Station and an NSRI Plettenberg Bay rescue vehicle and a private 4x4 vehicle were dispatched by road to the dirt track that lies nearest to the Keurbos Hut.
He said that through combined efforts, the hikers were rescued and brought to safety.
“The EMS rescue paramedic and the NSRI rescue swimmer medically assessed the hikers - 3 were treated for mild smoke inhalation that they had suffered from smoke from the fire that they had huddled near to during the night, but all were in good spirits,” he said.
Cape Times