‘Missing’ heli found in wildlife park

A helicopter with four occupants that disappeared during an investigation in the Kruger National Park on Monday was located on Tuesday morning – the occupants unharmed and the helicopter in one piece. (Photo: Provided)

A helicopter with four occupants that disappeared during an investigation in the Kruger National Park on Monday was located on Tuesday morning – the occupants unharmed and the helicopter in one piece.

According to Brig. Donald Mdhluli, police spokesperson in Mpumalanga, said the pilot, two investigating officers and an environmental crime investigator left on patrol at 09:00 on Monday after a rhino carcass was reportedly spotted.

The four were still not home by Monday evening. Attempts to establish communication with the helicopter crew did not yield any results due to poor signal and a large-scale search was launched.

A helicopter and drones were deployed on Monday evening to help with the search.

Mdhluli says the helicopter landed in a remote area and the occupants tried to find their way through a densely wooded area, but this was unsuccessful.

The four spent the night in the woods.

Thanks to SANParks and a search team, they were found unharmed on Tuesday morning.

JP Louw, spokesperson for SANParks, says the helicopter landed near a wooded area so that the investigation team could carry out assessments on the ground. The team is thought to have become disoriented in the thick woods and were unable to immediately find the helicopter again.

“Efforts to restore contact with the crew were successful on Tuesday morning. All four members were unhurt,” says Louw.