Post mortems done on victims of plane crash
Arrangements to have the bodies flown back to New Zealand will only be finalised once the post mortems are completed
NELSPRUIT – Post-mortems were performed in Pretoria today on the bodies of two New Zealand citizens who died in an aircraft crash near Graskop on Thursday.
Rescue workers had to endure difficult terrain and circumstances the following day to retrieve the bodies of Mr Richard Primrose (63) and Mr John Walton (47) from the wreckage of the plane which fell in the Opdenburg farm in Dientjie.
They were in the country on a so-called flight safari. According to The New Zealand Herald, Primrose had been in South Africa on a similar expedition two years ago.
The aircraft, a Cessna 182, was allegedly flown by Walton. According to an informed source, they had been flying in formation with two other planes over the farm. Primrose and Walton were in the middle when the aircraft suddenly plummeted to the ground. This occurred between 12:00 and 13:00.
A pilot from one of the other planes plotted the GPS coordinates and they flew to Hoedspruit to get help. An Agusta helicopter from the airbase at Hoedspruit flew to the scene with one of the pilots who witnessed the crash and a doctor on board. In the meantime, a field ranger who had also seen the Cessna 180 go down, went to Dientjie Police Station to report it.
Primrose and Walton had clearly suffered extensive injuries and were declared dead on the scene. Police officials from the dog and diving units stationed at White River were notified at about 15:45 and they arrived at the scene at 17:00.
Darkness began to set in and the rocky terrain and misty weather made it impossible to retrieve the bodies. The mission continued until early the following morning. The team comprised officials from the dog and diving units stationed at Dientjie, staff of the Lydenburg pathology services, off-road rescue unit and Phoenix Security.
They had to climb a steep hill of 1,6 kilometres to reach the wreckage. The bodies of Primrose and Walton were still fastened in their seats and both had been wearing their safety belts. The wreckage had to be cut with the Jaws of Life to remove them. It took 15 people to carry the bodies and rescue equipment down the mountain.
At the time of going to press, arrangements to have the bodies flown back to New Zealand were not finalised as the post-mortems were ongoing.
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