Injured hiker, whose fall was cushioned by her backpack, lifted from Table Mountain

Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) evacuated a woman who fell off a cliff on Table Mountain on Saturday morning. 

In a statement, WSAR said the hiker “was rescued from a clifftop ledge high above Camps Bay”.

“Dedicated teams of professionals and volunteers from Wilderness Search And Rescue were called to assist the 54-year-old woman on Saturday morning from Cairn Ravine, the first ravine after the Kloof Buttress, on the Camps Bay side of Table Mountain,” it said.

“The hiking group had been scrambling up a steep section of the route, when a member misstepped and fell 5m backwards, landing on the broken ground below.”

WSAR said, “fortunately, her backpack offered some protection, but her shoulder was injured, and she was unable to proceed”.

“A WSAR team on board the Western Cape department of health EMS / Air Mercy Service (AMS) rescue helicopter was immediately dispatched to the scene.

“Once in position, a rescue climber and paramedic were hoisted from the helicopter down to the patient. The rescue climber immediately constructed a rope safety point to ensure that the team members and the patient were protected from falling from the ledge.

“The patient was packaged into a stretcher and hoisted up into the helicopter, before being flown to a nearby landing zone and handed over to a waiting ambulance. She was driven to hospital.”

TimesLIVE

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.