20-6-2023 (CAPE TOWN) Last Sunday (June 18), a devastating canoeing accident in South Africa resulted in the loss of two Singaporean lives.
The victims, a man and a woman, were part of a group of 20 Singaporeans who were participating in a river rafting expedition on the Crocodile River near Hartbeespoort Dam, as reported by South African media outlet Kormorant.
According to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), they received an emergency call on Sunday afternoon regarding an accident involving multiple casualties in canoes on the river.
Craig Lambinon, spokesperson for the NSRI, stated that several tourists were involved in the capsizing of four canoes. The Singaporean tourists were on the expedition accompanied by six local river guides.
Arthur Crewe from the SRU Strategic Response Rescue Unit explained that one of the canoes encountered trouble, becoming trapped in the weir and capsizing. Subsequently, three other boats also faced difficulties, leading to collisions and capsizing.
Reportedly, while waiting for the rescue unit to arrive, the tour guides bravely jumped into the river to save the tourists.
“Six [tourists] were rescued from the water,” shared Crewe. “We administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but unfortunately, two of them did not survive.”
The remaining rescued tourists received on-site medical treatment for their injuries before being discharged by South African authorities.
Two of the tour guides who had jumped into the river to rescue the tourists were transported to the hospital in an unconscious state.
Crewe emphasized that this was a tragic accident and assured that necessary safety briefings had been conducted before the group embarked on their river expedition.
