Screams echoing across the slopes of the Helderberg Nature Reserve on Tuesday evening triggered a high-stakes, multi-agency night operation that saved the life of an unconscious local hiker and sparked two simultaneous rescues on Table Mountain.
The severe trauma rescue in Helderberg was the first in a rapid succession of emergency call-outs for Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) volunteer crews, Western Cape Health EMS units, and SANParks rangers on Tuesday night.
Severely chilled and exposed to rapidly dropping night temperatures, the hiker was at immediate risk of severe hypothermia. Additional teams were dispatched to the site, including an emergency doctor who delivered critical care on the mountainside while rescuers worked to actively warm the patient using heating blankets and a sleeping bag.
Once stabilised, the hiker was secured inside a specialised wilderness stretcher and carried down the mountain on foot by teams navigating the dark, rugged trail. He was transferred to an awaiting ambulance and was rushed to the hospital. Emergency services were alerted after members of the public reported hearing calls for help cutting through the dark in the nature reserve. Rescuers deployed to the area quickly launched a search effort, supported overhead by the Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS Drone Unit.
Within a short period, drone operators located an unconscious male hiker lying near the trail. Rescuers determined the patient had fallen between 15 and 20 metres from a steep path directly above.
The Helderberg operation concluded at 12.55am on Wednesday.
Search teams utilize thermal drone technology to pinpoint the exact location of an unconscious hiker during a night operation in the Helderberg Nature Reserve.
While emergency teams were working to save the injured hiker in Helderberg, a second emergency unfolded on Table Mountain.
Two visitors from the Philippines contacted the emergency hotline after becoming disoriented near Echo Valley on Table Mountain’s Back Table. The pair had miscalculated the time needed to finish their route before the final Table Mountain Aerial Cableway car departed for the evening.
Realising it was too dark to safely continue, they called for help. SANParks rangers and WSAR volunteers moved in on foot and safely escorted them down.
Before teams could fully clear the mountain, a third emergency call came in from two American tourists stranded near Maclear’s Beacon. Having also missed the final cable car, the pair chose to descend the steep stone steps of Platteklip Gorge after dark. Although equipped with proper gear, they called WSAR for guidance and monitoring.
Rescuers tracked their progress remotely until the pair reached the base safely shortly before 10pm on Tuesday evening, a few hours before the Helderberg rescue would reach its completion.
WSAR team members and SANParks rangers guide lost hikers down Table Mountain after dark during a night rescue operation.
David Nel, spokesperson for Wilderness Search and Rescue, emphasised how quickly routine outings can turn treacherous.
“Accidents happen on even the most familiar trails,” Nel said. “Whether you’re heading out for a short hike or a training run, never underestimate how quickly circumstances can change. Avoid hiking or running alone wherever possible, always tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to return.”
Nel commended the hikers on Table Mountain for calling early rather than pressing forward blindly in the dark.
The rescue service also issued a reminder that the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway will shut down for scheduled annual maintenance from July 27 to August 9.
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