{
  "id": 8891400,
  "title": "WATCH: Truck driver rescued from floodwaters on Eastern Cape bridge",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/watch-truck-driver-rescued-from-floodwaters-on-eastern-cape-bridge",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-21T09:34:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/news/watch-truck-driver-rescued-from-floodwaters-on-eastern-cape-bridge/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [
    "Truck driver rescued from floodwaters on Gamtoos River bridge",
    "Rescue mission took three hours with NSRI, police, and emergency services",
    "30-year-old truck driver from Gqeberha was saved and hospitalized"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}