Post by L Roebuck on Jul 24, 2006 7:54:41 GMT -5
Rescuers haul out stranded abseilers
Two frightened abseilers unable to climb out of the Wynberg Cave were pulled out by rescuers on Sunday night.
The pair were unharmed.
Three women and two men, all in their early 20s, climbed Constantia Nek on Sunday and abseiled down into Wynberg Cave. What they did not realise was that they did not have the gear they needed to pull themselves out.
While three of them clawed their way out of the cave, two - one of them abseiling for the first time - could not. One of the stronger climbers pulled herself out and phoned her family, who alerted Wilderness Search and Rescue and Metro Rescue.
Rescue manager Kevin Tromp said they received a call at 7.15pm, were on the scene by 8.30pm and had everyone out of the cave by 9.30pm.
"They're all OK, no one was injured. I think they learned a big lesson - that it's ludicrous to abseil if you don't have the right equipment."
The seven rescuers radioed their control room at 8pm to say the group were fine, but drove down the mountain only after 10pm after wrapping up their work.
"We have to praise the rescuers for their absolute professionalism. They were fantastic," Gavin Thompson said, relieved to have his daughter Bronwyn and her friends safely out of the cave.
- Staff Writer
Article: www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20060724005234807C271397
Two frightened abseilers unable to climb out of the Wynberg Cave were pulled out by rescuers on Sunday night.
The pair were unharmed.
Three women and two men, all in their early 20s, climbed Constantia Nek on Sunday and abseiled down into Wynberg Cave. What they did not realise was that they did not have the gear they needed to pull themselves out.
While three of them clawed their way out of the cave, two - one of them abseiling for the first time - could not. One of the stronger climbers pulled herself out and phoned her family, who alerted Wilderness Search and Rescue and Metro Rescue.
Rescue manager Kevin Tromp said they received a call at 7.15pm, were on the scene by 8.30pm and had everyone out of the cave by 9.30pm.
"They're all OK, no one was injured. I think they learned a big lesson - that it's ludicrous to abseil if you don't have the right equipment."
The seven rescuers radioed their control room at 8pm to say the group were fine, but drove down the mountain only after 10pm after wrapping up their work.
"We have to praise the rescuers for their absolute professionalism. They were fantastic," Gavin Thompson said, relieved to have his daughter Bronwyn and her friends safely out of the cave.
- Staff Writer
Article: www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20060724005234807C271397