Three hikers all suffered broken legs – after a boulder smashed down a mountain.
A group of seven local hikers set out on Saturday morning into the mountain kloofs above Banhoek, outside Stellenbosch.
After a night in the mountains, they were returning via Volstruiskloof on Sunday – hiking, abseiling, jumping, and wading down the deep river gorge.
After stopping for lunch on Sunday afternoon, the hikers noticed a large troop of baboons above them. Members of the party later reported the baboons appeared agitated and curious about the humans, far beneath them. Not too concerned, the group continued to descend the kloof.
Two members of the group had completed a 55m abseil from a pool in the middle of a waterfall when a boulder – approximately 60kgs in weight – struck the small ledge the remaining five hikers were standing on.
The boulder exploded on impact – sending shards of razor-sharp rock “shrapnel” flying horizontally through the air.
Three…
