A routine Friday night journey to collect a load of citrus turned into a three-hour rescue ordeal when a truck became trapped on a low-lying bridge as the swollen Gamtoos River surged around it.
The 30-year-old driver was trapped inside the cab, with the fast-flowing water at cab height, before a team of rescuers mounted a painstaking operation to bring him to safety.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) St Francis Bay deputy station commander Louwrens Bezuidenhout said that at 7.33pm, the NSRI duty crew was activated following a request for assistance from a farmer in Patensie.
He had reported that a truck was trapped on a low-lying bridge on a farm road across the Gamtoos River, between Patensie and Hankey.
The NSRI Emergency Operations Centre was alerted and Jeffreys Bay duty crew were activated to assist.
The SA Police Service, Eastern Cape government health EMS rescue squad and Smhart Security also responded.
NSRI St Francis Bay dispatched a private vehicle with NSRI rescue swimmers.
NSRI Jeffreys Bay dispatched rescue swimmers and a CROC (small floating rescue craft).
The water policing and diving service was also placed on alert.
On rescuers’ arrival at the scene, it was found that a truck had become trapped on a low-lying bridge while crossing the Gamtoos River.
The bridge was swamped following recent heavy rains, exacerbated by the May floods.
When the truck failed to arrive on schedule to collect a load of citrus, the farmer went in search of it.
He found the truck trapped on the bridge, and the alarm was raised.
The driver, who lives in Gqeberha, was not injured but was unable to escape.
NSRI rescue swimmers established a rope pulley system.
They waded to the truck using anchor ropes, and established a pulley system with the NSRI CROC, and secured the man into a life-jacket.
The rescue mission lasted three hours as it was hampered by the strong river flow.
The man was eventually brought to safety.
After being assessed by EMS paramedics, he was taken to hospital for further evaluation.
A heavy vehicle recovery team will recover the truck when the river subsides.
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