WATCH: Truck driver rescued from floodwaters on Eastern Cape bridge
The alarm was raised when 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 in the river on the low-lying bridge.
A truck driver has been rescued after being trapped in his vehicle on a low-lying bridge across the Gamtoos River near a farm road in the Eastern Cape. The incident occurred at 7:33 pm on Friday when a farmer reported the truck stuck between Patensie and Hankey. Heavy rainfall had caused the bridge to become swamped, making the roadway dangerous.
The 30-year-old truck driver from Gqeberha was trapped in the cab, unable to escape due to fast-flowing, swollen river water at cab height. NSRI rescue swimmers established a rope-and-pulley system to reach the truck, conducting a swift-water rescue operation through the rising, fast-flowing water. A three-hour-long rescue mission involving the NSRI Emergency Operations Centre, Jeffreys Bay duty crew, South African Police Service, and Smart Security ultimately saved the driver.
After securing the truck driver with a life jacket, anchor ropes, and a pulley system, EMS paramedics assessed him, and he was transported to the hospital for further evaluation. Investigations are ongoing by the police to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident, with a heavy vehicle recovery team looking into how to retrieve the truck once the river subsides.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
