The scenes that unfolded in the South African province of Mpumalanga in the late evening of 29 December were straight out of a disaster film. An outing on a water ski boat almost ended fatally for four men when their boat, unable to manoeuvre, apparently due to engine failure, headed for the spillway edge of a dam and got stuck there.
The incident
According to eyewitnesses, the boat drifted rudderless towards the dam wall on the waters near the town of Standerton. The strong current pushed the small vessel directly towards the spillway. The boat got caught right on the edge, while huge masses of water plunged past it into the depths.
Video footage shows the desperate situation of the four occupants: They had apparently got out voluntarily and had to cling desperately to the hull of the boat to avoid being swept away by the current and plunging some 40 metres into the depths.
Race against time and darkness
The emergency call was received at around 19:15 local time. A race against time began for the emergency services, as not only did the casualties' strength dwindle as time went on, but darkness also set in.
According to media reports, water was drained from the basin to reduce the water pressure on the boat and the people.
In difficult conditions, the rescue teams had to manoeuvre in the dark to reach the boat, which was teetering on the edge. The rescuers finally managed to free all four men unharmed from their life-threatening situation just before the boat could have plunged into the abyss. They apparently deployed a lifeline to pull the people to the lifeboat one by one.
