Wilderness Search and Rescue teams respond to multiple hiking emergencies across the Cape Peninsula, including a heat-related rescue and a fatal fall, as authorities urge hikers to take extra precautions during the summer months. Rescue teams were kept busy across the Cape Peninsula over the weekend, responding to a series of hiking emergencies ranging from heat exhaustion to a fatal fall. On Monday morning, members of Wilderness Search and Rescue assisted an exhausted 46-year-old German hiker in Platteklip Gorge.
The hiker was spotted by a passing group, who alerted emergency services after noticing he was struggling to continue. A Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS / Air Mercy Service rescue helicopter was dispatched, allowing a team to reach the scene quickly. The hiker was treated for heat-related injuries and flown to a nearby landing zone for further medical care.
WSAR spokesperson David Nel urged hikers to take extra precautions during the summer months, saying: “People need to start early, carry more water than they think they’ll need, and avoid hiking during the hottest hours of the day.” The rescue followed a tragic incident on Sunday near Bailey’s Kloof, above Muizenberg, where a hiker fell several metres while scrambling above a trail. A small team was deployed from a rescue helicopter, and advanced medical care was provided on scene by a provincial EMS paramedic. Despite these efforts, the hiker later died in hospital.
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Earlier on Sunday, teams were also called to Lion’s Head after a 52-year-old woman from Bloemfontein slipped while descending from the summit. She was assessed, treated and airlifted to a nearby landing zone before being transported to hospital by ambulance.
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