Durban - A hiker was rescued after he was trapped between a mountain crack in the Cederberg area for 17 hours.
David Nel of Wilderness Search And Rescue said two men had lost their way while hiking a remote mountain near Nuwerust Farm in the Cederberg.
"They had decided to attempt to descend the peak by climbing down a series of narrow 'chimneys' – a mountaineering term used to describe narrow chutes or cracks," he explained.
Nel said one of the hikers became lodged in a chimney late on Tuesday afternoon and was unable to free himself.
"After a sleepless night constricted in the narrow chimney, the men were able to flag down passing rock climbers who alerted the local emergency services. A WSAR team on board the Western Cape Department of Health EMS / Air Mercy Service rescue helicopter were flown to the Cederberg to assist two hikers stuck on a remote peak," he said.
At the scene, the rescue team abseiled to the men, and assessed the hiker, who was able to stand on his toes in the bottom of the chimney, but his chest had been constricted, and he was only able to take small breaths.
The team then built a technical rope system to assist them in freeing the stuck hiker.
"WSAR teams hauled him up to the ledge above before the patients and team were safely extracted by helicopter. The patients were flown to a nearby landing zone before being handed over to a waiting medical team for further assessment," Nel said.
Meanwhile, a hiker was injured while descending from Elephant’s Eye Cave above Silvermine.
He was assisted down the trail to a nearby vehicle before being driven back to his vehicle.
In a separate incident, a 25-year-old fell and hurt himself while hiking in Lions Head.
Nel said A WSAR team on board the Western Cape Department of Health EMS /AMS rescue helicopter was hoisted down to his position. He was assessed before being packaged into a stretcher and hosted up into the helicopter.
He was flown to a nearby landing zone and handed over to an ambulance before being transported to hospital.
IOL