Watch: Rescue operation: 63-year-old hiker airlifted from Chapman’s Peak after leg injury

A rescue helicopter hoists an injured hiker to safety during an emergency operation above Chapman’s Peak. A 63-year-old hiker was airlifted from the Chapman’s Peak Hiking Trail on Sunday morning after he reportedly heard a loud snap when he stepped awkwardly, leaving him unable to continue. According to Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR), the man’s family called the emergency number at about mid-morning after he sustained the injury on the trail.

Ground teams were dispatched and began making their way up the route, while a rescue team aboard the Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS / Air Mercy Service (AMS) helicopter was flown directly to the scene. The patient was assessed and stabilised on the mountain by a Western Cape Government Health and Wellness paramedic before being hoisted aboard the helicopter and flown to a nearby landing zone for further medical care. Authorities wished the hiker a full recovery and thanked the volunteers and emergency partners involved in the swift response.