A group of 14 foreign hikers were rescued from the mountains above Camps Bay in a joint effort by various search and rescue organisations earlier this week.
Also read: WSAR rescues elderly hikers during busy weekend on Cape mountains
At approximately 7:40pm on Monday, Camps Bay Community Safety Initiative (CBCSI) was alerted to a group of 14 hikers, including children and a pregnant woman, who had become lost on the mountain.
CBCSI made contact with the individuals and consulted with Metro Rescue. It was determined that the hikers were on their way down Kasteelspoort in three groups.
Response vehicles positioned themselves at the bottom of the trail with roof lights lit so that the hikers knew in which direction to head, and two of the group who had forged ahead found their way to our team.
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Between Metro Rescue and Wilderness Search And Rescue Western Cape, trail runners were arranged to go up and meet with the hikers and help them proceed down the mountain.
By 11:50pm, all 14 people were safely guided off the mountain and no injuries were reported.
In an unrelated incident, Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) members suspended a planned training exercise after a trail runner fell from the contour path on Saturday morning.
The technical training involved a multi-stage rescue of a fallen climber on the cliff faces below the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway. The training scenario aimed to sharpen the technical skills required in complicated cliff rescues and improve rescue responses that involve the use of the cable car as a rescue platform.
Rescuers involved in the training were placed on standby, and the exercise was briefly suspended after reports of a fallen trail runner were received shortly after 09h00.
The 38-year-old trail runner was crossing a narrow section of the contour path between the Platteklip Gorge and India Venster hiking trails when he slipped and fell approximately 15 metres down a waterfall.
His friend immediately raised the alarm.
A small team on board the Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness EMS / Air Mercy Service (AMS) rescue helicopter was flown to the scene and hoisted down to a point close to the patient.
The injured trail runner was assessed and treated before being placed on a stretcher and hoisted up into the helicopter.
He was flown to a nearby landing zone and transported to hospital in an ER24 EMS (Pty) Ltd. Ambulance.
The incident was concluded at 11h05.
David Nel, a spokesperson for Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR), said: ‘Team members involved in the training continued with their scenario when it became clear that no further assistance was required and the trail runner had been safely flown to the landing zone.’
‘Rescuers are constantly looking to sharpen their skills, and coordinated technical training with the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway are critical to ensure that rescues involving the cable car are executed safely and timeously.’
‘We’re thankful to the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway for their support and their continued commitment to wilderness safety on Table Mountain.’
‘We wish our patient a full recovery,’ Nel said.
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Picture: Fredy Mohorich / WSAR