A Canadian woman, in her thirties, as been rescued from a ledge on a cliff in the Drakensberg, after falling off a cliff in the Cathedral Peak area of the Drakensberg.

Late yesterday afternoon a combined rescue agency, rescue party, consisting of members from the Mountain Club of South Africa, the Police, KZN Wildlife (with KZN EMRS paramedics and aeromedical helicopter on standby) , was established and mobilised to rescue the woman, a Canadian citizen, who had been part of a hike group in the Berg. She had fallen off a cliff onto a ledge and at first couldn’t he seen or contacted.

Robert McKenzie of the EMRS in KZN said the rescue group hiked about one hour to reach the location, where the woman had fallen; it was late at night by this stage. A rope rescue system was established and a rescuer was lowered to the patient. She had sustained serious injuries. She was rescued from the ledge and the rescuers stayed with her until the morning, when an Oryx helicopter from 15 Squadron was used to airlift her out of the Drakensberg, to a hospital in Pietermaritzburg.

“We wish to applaud all those involved in this precarious rescue operation starting with our personnel at the EMS Operation Centre who received the SOS call and subsequently coordinated the participation of the SANDF Air Wing; the Mountain Club of South Africa; SAPS and KZN Wildlife amongst others. Again, working together we have demonstrated our capability as a country to provide successful emergency medical rescue operations be it at land, sea or mountains,” KZN Health MEC Dr Dhlomo