In what has been called the biggest rescue on Table Mountain since 1960, 75 tourists were aided down the steep Platteklip Gorge trail on Thursday (24 October) after a lithium battery fire halted the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway operations.
(Picture by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
The fire, which broke out in a garage at the cableway’s lower station, forced the suspension of services shortly after 1 p.m., stranding around 400 people atop the mountain. While power was later restored to the cableway, many tourists had already opted to descend the challenging hiking trail.
Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) and Cape Town fire and emergency responders mounted a large-scale operation to assist those struggling on the steep path.
‘In a carefully co-ordinated multidisciplinary effort, dedicated teams of professionals and volunteers from WSAR made their way up the Platteklip Gorge hiking trail to assist 75 tourists who had decided to walk down the popular trail after a fire near the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway lower cable station halted operations,’ said WSAR according to BusinessDay.
A high-tech drone provided aerial monitoring, alerting rescue teams to distressed hikers, while teams responded to three separate instances of exhaustion and injury. A 45-year-old Dutch tourist with a lower leg injury was airlifted to safety.
The rescue operation concluded at 7:30 p.m.
The last large-scale rescue on Table Mountain occurred on March 27, 1960, when winds stranded 140 people, requiring a 60-member team to aid their descent.
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