Drone used to rescue lost hiker and tour guide on Cape Town hiking trail
Cape Town - A stranded tourist and her local tour guide who lost their way on a hiking trail in Cape Town were rescued thanks to technology used by local organisations on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old tourist and her tour guide were hiking up India Venster.
At one point during their hike, it was no longer safe to proceed or safe to retrace their steps.
A decision was made by the duo to call the Western Cape Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) for help.
According to the on-scene rescue coordinator, Tim Lundy, the information received from the guide suggested the duo’s location was Cairn Buttress, high above Camps Bay.
In a coordinated response, teams were dispatched to a staging point while the drone team determined the exact location of the missing pair.
A drone from the Western Cape Government’s Health Emergency Medical Services’ Drone Unit was used.
“The drone found the patients within 10 minutes. We called the patients on their cell phones and had them tell us where the drone was relative to their position.
“Once we’d spotted them, the drone was able to provide valuable information about the terrain to the rescue team. They (the drone team) were also able to provide us with an exact GPS location for the patients,” Lundy said.
He said after considering the information provided by the drone, a decision was made to use the health department’s Air Mercy Service (AMS) helicopter to rescue the hikers.
A team was flown to the location with harnesses and safety equipment.
The duo was hoisted into the helicopter and flown to a dedicated landing zone.
“The drone is an enormous help to Wilderness Search And Rescue. We’re able to locate patients faster, during the day and at night. Our field members are better able to plan access and even rescues, based on the images and videos we receive,” Lundy said.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL