A woman was seriously injured at the Oranjezicht City Farm Market at the V&A Waterfront early last Saturday morning when a bedouin (stretch) tent was blown onto a wooden structure by a strong gust of wind, leading to its collapse and injuring several patrons.
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Sheryl Ozinsky, the market owner, mentioned that the wind was blowing at approximately 40kph, a speed condition she initially deemed not too worrisome.
She typically monitors weather conditions and has closed the market twice in the past due to gale-force winds in September this year and last year, according to News24.
However, at around 8:45am last Saturday, an unexpectedly powerful gust of wind lifted two tents, causing them to land on a wooden structure that ultimately collapsed, resulting in injuries to five people.
‘One person was seriously injured. She was rushed to hospital, while the remaining four sustained less serious injuries and underwent full medical examinations,’ she said.
The City’s fire department and disaster risk management team were called in to assist.
Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services, says, ‘Five people with varying degrees of injuries were treated by ambulance personnel and transported to a nearby hospital before the arrival of fire crews. Firefighters managed to make the area safe before handing it over to the market manager’.
Ozinsky has been in contact with the person’s family: ‘As far as we understand, the injury sustained was a displaced fractured vertebra in her upper back. My team visited the injured person in the hospital over the weekend, and we understand that she is recovering well.’
‘We are distraught that this has happened. Up until now, we had an excellent safety record. One just doesn’t expect something like this ever to happen. We are holding the injured patient in our thoughts every single day,’ Ozinsky said.
She added that all safety protocols were adhered to, and an inquiry has been launched. A group of engineers is currently in the process of preparing a comprehensive report.
The incident has also been officially reported to the police.
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