The alarm was raised when the truck failed to arrive on schedule to collect a load of citrus fruit, prompting the farmer to search for it and find it trapped in the river on the low-lying bridge.
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The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has rescued a man who was trapped in a truck on a low-lying bridge across the Gamtoos River near a farm road.
According to Louwrens Bezuidenhout, NSRI St Francis Bay deputy station commander, the incident occurred at 7.33pm on Friday, when the team received a call from a farmer requesting assistance after reporting a truck that was trapped between Patensie and Hankey in the Eastern Cape.
Heavy rainfall
The alarm was raised when the truck failed to arrive on schedule to collect a load of citrus fruit, prompting the farmer to search for it. He eventually found the truck trapped on the low-lying bridge, surrounded by river water.
The bridge was swamped by recent heavy rainfall.
Bezuidenhout noted that the bridge has been repeatedly swamped by heavy rainfall since May, making the roadway slippery.
Trapped in cab
The 30-year-old truck driver, a resident of Gqeberha, was trapped in the cab.
According to the NSRI, he could not escape because fast-flowing, swollen river water was rushing around the truck at cab height.
NSRI rescue swimmers established a technicalrope-and-pulley system to reach the truck and conducted a swift-water rescue operation through the rising, fast-flowing water.
Rescue teams
NSRI Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) was alerted, and its Jeffereys Bay duty crew was activated to assist, along with members from the South African Police Service(Saps) and Smart Security.
Rescue swimmers, small rescue craft and vehicles were dispatched.
On arrival, rescuers found a truck that had been travelling to a local farm to collect citrus fruit trapped while crossing the Gamtoos River.
Three-hour-long rescue mission
After a three-hour swift-water rescue operation, rescuers secured the truck driver with a life jacket, anchor ropes and a pulley system.
The rescue mission concluded at around 1am after EMS paramedics assessed the truck driver, who was then transported to hospital for further medical evaluation.
According to Bezuidenhout, the truck driver is expected to make a full recovery.
Investigations
According to the NSRI, police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Bezuidenhout said a heavy vehicle recovery team was looking into ways to recover the truck once the river subsides.
