Camping safari ends in tragedy
2010-08-17 08:18
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Accidents
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Theuns van der Westhuizen, Die Burger
Cape Town – A camping safari ended in tragedy for two tourists from the west coast when a donkey boiler exploded at a campsite in Botswana.
Maretha Schroeder, 58, from Paternoster, died instantly when she was presumably struck against the head by a brick or a piece of the exploding boiler.
Her friend, Niel van Zyl, 58, also from Paternoster, sustained serious head injuries and was admitted to the intensive care unit at the Netcare Milpark hospital in Johannesburg.
On Monday night family members were still trying to determine exactly what happened, while authorities in Botswana struggled to track down the families of the deceased and the injured man in South Africa.
The explosion happened last Thursday at about 17:00 at a campsite near Mankwe, apparently known as Khwai camp, according to W Pule of the police at Maun.
“We don’t know exactly what happened. It was a freak accident. The woman was already dead and the man was already on his way to hospital when we arrived there.
“A brick or a piece of the (hot water) tank hit her against the head. Something also hit the man against the head. Nobody else was injured.”
Tracing next-of-kin
According to Pule, the police are still trying to find a family member who can claim Schroeder before her remains can be brought to South Africa.
Staff of the campsites in the area, as well as the place where the accident reportedly happened, did not want to talk about the incident on Monday.
Ren Mbulawwa, manager of one of the camps, said he knew about the incident, “but we can’t say anything before the police have been here”.
The investigating officer, a certain “Mr David”, was not available for comment.
Staff at the South African High Commissioner’s Office in Botswana said they can’t say anything until they have been in contact with the family of the deceased.
When asked how Van Zyl was taken to Johannesburg, Pule said he was taken there by plane.
Spokespeople for the clinic did not want to comment on his condition on Monday afternoon.