SA couple reported missing in Fish River Canyon declared safe

09 May 2022 - 16:21
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Samantha and Trevor Burger who were reported missing in Namibia's Fish River Canyon are safe.
Samantha and Trevor Burger who were reported missing in Namibia's Fish River Canyon are safe.
Image: Supplied

Two South Africans — a married couple — who were reportedly  among four hikers reported missing in Namibia’s Fish River Canyon are safe.

Namibian media reported that the couple had not logged out when they left the canyon. Further panic was caused by reports that they had issued distress signals on Thursday and were unreachable since then. 

Local publication The Namibian quoted the executive director in the ministry of environment, forestry and tourism, Theo Nghitila, who confirmed that nobody was missing.

“There is no emergency,” Nghitila said.

 

Earlier, Namibia Wildlife Services (NWS) on Monday said a search was under way. 

The NWS had identified the couple as Trevor, 63, and Samantha Burger, 50, from Franschhoek in the Western Cape. They were among a group of 10 hikers, six of whom finished the challenging five-day hike through Africa’s longest canyon.

It is understood rescuers had received multiple distress signals, prompting a search party to be sent to the popular tourist site.

Earlier on Monday, NWS spokesperson Nelson Ashipala told Namibian news outlet Informanté that the missing group sent their first distress signal upon reaching the first campsite after a long descent from the top of the canyon.

“However, they were not there when the NWR reached the location where the missing four stated they were,” the report said.

The couple’s daughter Tana Lancaster had told the news outlet her parents were fit and active and had hiked the canyon before.

“They are supposed to check in every night and we haven’t heard from them since Thursday night when they arrived to start descending on Friday,” Lancaster said. 

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