NSRI rescues truck driver trapped on flooded Gamtoos River bridge

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) rescued a man who was trapped in a truck on a low-lying bridge across the Gamtoos River, according to The Citizen. The incident took place after heavy rainfall swamped the bridge and surrounding roadway.

How the rescue began

According to The Citizen, the incident occurred at 7:33pm on Friday when the NSRI received a call from a farmer reporting a truck trapped between Patensie and Hankey in the Eastern Cape. The alarm was raised after 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 on the low-lying bridge and surrounded by river water.

Conditions on the bridge

The Citizen reports the bridge had been swamped by recent heavy rainfall and had been repeatedly swamped since May, which made the roadway slippery. Fast-flowing, swollen river water was rushing around the truck at cab height, preventing the driver from escaping.

Rescue operation

NSRI rescue swimmers established a technical rope-and-pulley system and conducted a swift-water rescue operation through the rising, fast-flowing water, The Citizen says. The operation involved NSRI rescue swimmers, small rescue craft and vehicles, and the NSRI Emergency Operations Centre activated its Jeffreys Bay duty crew. Members from the South African Police Service and Smart Security were also involved.

Three-hour mission

After a three-hour swift-water rescue operation, rescuers secured the driver with a life jacket, anchor ropes and a pulley system. The mission concluded at around 1am after EMS paramedics assessed the truck driver, who was then transported to hospital for further medical evaluation, The Citizen reports.

Victim and follow-up

The Citizen identifies the truck driver as a 30-year-old resident of Gqeberha. According to Louwrens Bezuidenhout, NSRI St Francis Bay deputy station commander, the driver is expected to make a full recovery.

Ongoing inquiries

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, and a heavy vehicle recovery team was looking into ways to recover the truck once the river subsides, The Citizen reports.