SA engineer dies in Antarctica

2006-12-23 14:06

Johannesburg - A South African engineer died in a transport accident in the Antarctic, said the department of environmental affairs and tourism on Saturday.

The department's director for the Antarctica islands, Henry Valentine, said that Dewald Voigt, 25, an engineer and scientist, died in a skidoo accident on Friday shortly after arriving at the SA Antarctic station, SANAE.

A skidoo is a motorised toboggan (sled).

"He left Cape Town on December 7 on board the SA Agulhas as part of the 46th overwintering expedition," said Valentine.

He said Voigt had been "extremely excited" to be part of the expedition.

He had a Masters degree in antennae and it was in that capacity he was part of the scientific contingent of the overwintering expedition.

Voigt would have returned to SA in February.

"Since Antarctica is not very accessible the soonest opportunity to return the body of Dewald to South Africa is early in January 2007 with a charter flight," said Valentine.

"The directorate antarctica and islands of the department of environmental affairs and tourism, responsible for logistic operations of the South African National Antarctic Programme, deeply regrets this incident."

He said Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk expressed his deepest sympathy to Voigt's family.

Valentine said Voigt was the third South African known to have died in the Antarctic.

About 10 years ago a soldier seconded to the Antarctic expedition died in a blizzard during the construction of the new SA base, and in 1979 a South African died in a crevasse.

- SAPA