SAAF Drakensberg rescue

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15 Squadron, the only SA Air Force (SAAF) helicopter unit in KwaZulu-Natal, literally came to the rescue earlier this week.

The KwaZulu-Natal section rescue team of the Mountain Club of SA was called out on 28 June to help the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) with a soldier who had sustained serious injuries in a fall in Leslie’s Pass in the Injasuthi area.

At first light on Monday 29 June an Oryx helicopter from 15 Squadron, Durban, was dispatched, which then picked up three Mountain Club members at Pietermaritzburg. A rescue then took place high in Leslie’s Pass, before bringing the patient to a hospital in Pietermaritzburg.

Earlier in the month, two Oryx helicopters carried out high mountain rescue training in the Pholela River valley. The Mountain Club of SA said members from Durban, Maritzburg, northern Berg and Underberg took part. A total of 15 people received training.