NAMIBIA – All 96 hikers who were trapped in the Fish River Canyon in Namibia following heavy rainfall and rising water levels which cut off exit routes were safely evacuated by Monday with no injuries reported.

“It felt like being in a war zone with echoes of thunder rolling down the canyon. The lightning strikes were scary,” wrote Eric McLaren on the Facebook page I hiked the Fish River Canyon, saying the night before their descent it “bucketed down”.

On Saturday (20 June), he wrote, rain started at around 15:00. McLaren and his group set up camp and positioned their tents about 40 metres from the river.

“No sooner had we set up tents when the heavens opened. It was thunder, lightning and rain for seven hours solid.”

At 01:00 they had to move to higher ground and ten minutes later the ground where the tents were standing was under water. On Sunday morning they headed towards the Pink Rock, seeing there was no crossing through the rapids. McLaren and two others headed upstream where the water appeared calmer. He went in to test the depth and strength of the flow.

“Five meters in and I was chest high and could feel the current starting to take me. We were going nowhere.”

Luckily his group had two satellite phones and could be informed about the water situation and knew that help was on the way. Also, they were on high ground.

“Attempting to cross at the wrong time could have cost many people’s lives,” he wrote, praising the decision-makers who closed and opened the canyon, and also the rescue teams for the professional way they handled the situation and who made sure everyone was evacuated.

“I will treasure this opportunity of seeing the forces of nature forever,” the 62-year-old McLaren of Somerset West said who has been down the canyon more than 30 times. He is a certified adventure guide specialising in the Fish River Canyon and author of the recently published Thirty Times Down: A Hiker’s Guide to the Fish River Canyon Trail.

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Hike temporary closed

Following the recent heavy rainfall in the southern parts of Namibia, the Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) has announced the temporary closure of the Fish River Canyon Hike. This is due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas and the opening of sluice gates.

“The Fish River Hike is therefore closed with immediate effect and will remain closed until further notice,” NWR announced, urging the public to stay away from the hiking trail until conditions are declared safe.

On Sunday at 06:00 the Naute Dam recorded a water level – above capacity – of 116,9% and it rose to 117,3% by 08:00. This prompted NamWater to commence with controlled water releases from the dam by opening one sluice gate on Sunday morning. Furthermore, the Neckartal Dam recorded a water level of 105,7% on Sunday at 15:15, and is also overflowing and releasing water into the Fish River.

It is expected that the Fish River will record a dramatic rise after the sustained heavy rainfall in its total catchment area.

Rescue operations launched

Due to consistent rain and concurrent flooding which cut off exit routes, nine hiking groups which were mostly South Africans were trapped in the Fish River Canyon. The 96 hikers included children who apparently hiked with their parents.

This situation prompted the Namibian Police Force and NWR to launch rescue operations which were complicated by the lack of exact coordinates for all hikers.

According to the Namibian news platform, Informanté, the Kharas Police Regional Commander Commissioner Marius Katamila said police received reports from farmers along the Fish River and the regional manager of NWR that hikers inside the canyon were unable to leave due to flooding.

In reaction to this the Namibian Police Force deployed two teams from Keetmanshoop, including members of the Special Reserve Force, to Hobas and Ai-Ais to assist with the rescue efforts. A Namibian Police Air Support Services helicopter had also been deployed and conducted aerial operations to locate and evacuate hikers from the canyon.

On Sunday, 14 people had already been evacuated while several larger groups remained stranded in higher-lying areas.

On Tuesday at noon it was confirmed that all 96 hikers were safely evacuated by Monday, with no injuries reported.

Survivors share harrowing experiences

Some rescued hikers shared their experiences with the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation.

“While we were in the middle of the river, the flood suddenly came rushing in. It swept us away for about 200 to 300 meters, along with our bags and everything else. At some point, when I was submerged under the water, I had to unclip myself and force my way free. We are grateful to God that we survived.” – Mino Neels.

“We were just so relieved to hear the helicopter was coming. The kids were quite apt to be on a helicopter. We were sad. We were also sad because we wanted to complete the trip.” – Orein Buze.

“We put our bags together, and we kind of rafted over the river and we swam through. We couldn’t touch the ground; it was that deep. And after that we hiked out and went to Pink Palace. Some of us actually carried on going and finished the hike. And the rest of us cut it short and got rescued.” – Aimee Lingque.

National pride in rescue success

“What an operation,” wrote Clifford John under the heading “I am incredibly proud to be a Namibian”.

John thanked Namibia Wildlife Resorts, Namibian Police Force and every ranger, guide, pilot, rescue team member and support official involved in the evacuations.

“That is the thing about the outdoors. It doesn’t matter how experienced you are, it doesn’t matter how much planning goes into an adventure, Mother Nature always has the final say. The Fish River Canyon is not only massive, it is a remote, unforgiving wilderness where conditions can change quickly and where even the best plans can be humbled by nature.

“It demands respect, preparation, fitness and klomp humility.

“Thank God that every soul who entered the canyon this season made it out alive. Some walked in and got a complimentary helicopter ride out which will certainly be a story they’ll be telling for the rest of their lives.”