Another Tragic Accident on Table Mountain National Park

The management of Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) have expressed their sincere condolences to the family of the young man who fell to 30 metres on Lion’s Head in South Africa on Friday evening.

In a press statement today TMNP said unfortunately the 26-year-old from Paarl died of his injuries before he could be rescued.

According to Park manager, Paddy Gordon, rescue efforts were severely hampered by the terrain which included steep slopes and an unstable surface.

“The patient slipped from his original landing point and the first rescuers on site tried to stop him from slipping further by tying a sling to his arm. Unfortunately they could not extract him because they were unable to get the patient into a stretcher for the helicopter to airlift him off the mountain. The patient subsequently died of his injuries on site,” said Gordon.

The statement said that although Park management will constantly improve footpaths and introduce safety measures, tragedies of this nature are a reminder that Table Mountain is wilderness terrain and extreme caution needs to be exercised.

TMNP said a full investigation is being undertaken to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the accident.

The area is popular with locals and tourists for its hikes and spectacular scenery.

Earlier this month a man was found dead near Breakfast Rock on the popular Kasteelspoort hiking route above Camps Bay.

Park management encourages all users of the Park to observe elementary mountain safety measures, such as:

• Staying on demarcated pathways and trails
• Wearing the correct hiking gear and shoes
• Not carrying valuables, cash, cameras, iPods etc
• Cycling, hiking or running during daylight hours only
• Not hiking alone
• Keeping an eye on the weather and other mountain conditions
• Informing at least one other person not hiking with you of your destination and estimated arrival time