JOHANNESBURG - Five people stranded on Sentinel Peak in the Drakensberg have been safely rescued after heavy snowfall cut them off from the outside world.
The group had been trapped since Monday night, with deteriorating weather conditions and dwindling food and water supplies raising concerns for their safety.
Search and Rescue teams from Gauteng and the Free State, along with ER24 paramedics, mounted a rescue operation.
READ: Disaster teams on high alert as snow, heavy rain sweep across SA
Kyle Nesbitt from the Search and Rescue Association of South Africa says the teams established a forward base at Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge before making their way towards Sentinel Peak.
The rescue vehicles were fitted with snow chains, while a SHERP all-terrain rescue vehicle was used to navigate the difficult terrain.
The journey to Sentinel Parking, around seven kilometres away, took roughly two hours because of the conditions.
Once they reached the stranded group, rescuers assessed them, provided them with food and warmth, and brought them safely down the mountain.
Nesbitt says the group was in good spirits and had no immediate medical concerns, but their situation could have become increasingly dangerous had the rescue been delayed.
He says hikers heading into severe weather need to prepare for the worst, including carrying at least 48 hours' worth of food and appropriate cold-weather and wet-weather gear.
Nesbitt also urged hikers to have an emergency plan and conserve their cellphone batteries, particularly in areas with limited signal.
“Don't use your phone as a torch,” he cautioned, saying a cellphone may be the hiker's only means of communicating with the outside world in an emergency.