Tourists plucked from ledge

2005-04-14 11:36

Nathi Olifant

Pietermaritzburg - Three foreigners were airlifted from the Drakensberg on Wednesday after they got themselves stuck on a ledge.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesperson Jeff Gaisford said Australian Gary Frampton and British Peter Johnston and Dennis Murphy were airlifted in a joint operation by Ezemvelo, the Mountain Rescue club, the SAPS airwing and the SA air force.

They were trapped after discovering they could not move up or down off a ledge in the Monk's Cowl area.

"The three men got into difficulty when they scrambled down what they thought was part of Grey's Pass and then found they could go no further and were also unable to climb up once more," he said.

After a day spent trying to get themselves out, the men contacted Ezemvelo's Lance van der Bank by cellphone. He sent two field rangers out along the contour path on horseback as the hikers reported had reported that they could see the track.

Van der Bank also contacted the local rescue convener of the Mountain Club of SA, Gavin Raubenheimer.

"When the men had still not been able to extricate themselves by 10:50, it was decided to initiate a rescue operation."

An Oryx helicopter from the SAAF's 15 Squadron with a Mountain Rescue member on board was dispatched from Durban, collecting two other rescuers en route.

The SAPS Airwing had in the meantime located the hikers and passed the GPS co-ordinates to the SAAF helicopter.

"This enabled the helicopter to pick the men up and deposit them safely at the Monk's Cowl office," Gaisford said.

"The site is very well known and clearly marked yet people tend to ignore it and choose the wrong route. We've always tried our best for people to take somebody local," he said.

- The Witness