WATCH: WSAR conducts multiple mountain rescues amid summer heatwave in Cape Peninsula
Wilderness Search and Rescue teams respond to multiple hiking emergencies across the Cape Peninsula, including a heat-related rescue and a fatal fall, as authorities urge hikers to take extra precautions during the summer months.
Image: Chris Jacobs
Rescue teams were kept busy across the Cape Peninsula over the weekend, responding to a series of hiking emergencies ranging from heat exhaustion to a fatal fall.
On Monday morning, members of Wilderness Search and Rescue assisted an exhausted 46-year-old German hiker in Platteklip Gorge. The hiker was spotted by a passing group, who alerted emergency services after noticing he was struggling to continue.
A Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS / Air Mercy Service rescue helicopter was dispatched, allowing a team to reach the scene quickly. The hiker was treated for heat-related injuries and flown to a nearby landing zone for further medical care.
WSAR spokesperson David Nel urged hikers to take extra precautions during the summer months, saying: “People need to start early, carry more water than they think they’ll need, and avoid hiking during the hottest hours of the day.”
The rescue followed a tragic incident on Sunday near Bailey’s Kloof, above Muizenberg, where a hiker fell several metres while scrambling above a trail. A small team was deployed from a rescue helicopter, and advanced medical care was provided on scene by a provincial EMS paramedic. Despite these efforts, the hiker later died in hospital.
Earlier on Sunday, teams were also called to Lion’s Head after a 52-year-old woman from Bloemfontein slipped while descending from the summit. She was assessed, treated and airlifted to a nearby landing zone before being transported to hospital by ambulance.
Later that afternoon, a specialised trail runner was deployed to assist two British hikers, aged 27 and 28, who became disoriented after deviating from the India Venster route below Kloof Corner. The pair were located and guided safely down the mountain shortly before 8pm.
Rescue services have again appealed to hikers to plan carefully, be realistic about their fitness levels and respect the risks posed by heat and unfamiliar terrain.
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