Truck Driver Rescued From Floods By Sheldrick Pilot
A driver who was trapped inside a flooded truck has a story to tell after a successful rescue operation.
The male, who has not yet been identified, was rescued by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust helicopter.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is an organization that runs an orphaned elephant rescue and wildlife treatment program in Kenya.
Through their website, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust said the Galana operations manager alerted them at 4pm on Wednesday that an oil truck traveling on the Galana-Kulalu highway had been overwhelmed by the flooded river.
The man was said to have been trapped since four in the morning, making him cling to the top of the truck even as the situation worsened. The water had pushed the truck to the side, breaking the windshield and flooding the front.
“It was only a short time before the river swallowed the whole car. Onlookers offered help from the shore, while terrified. They could not intervene, the tidal current made any kind of crossing impossible,” the believers said.
The organization agreed that flooding is a constant threat during the rainy season, so it is difficult to predict when or how quickly the water levels will rise.
A call from the manager of the Galana operation made the organization send Taru Carr-Hartley, who is an air unit officer in the rescue operation.
Taru, who was accompanied by Roan Carr-Hartley, flew the SWT helicopter to the scene to rescue the driver from the danger lurking in the raging river and the petrol truck.
“They could immediately see the truck that had been washed away, at the bottom of the river that was full. When they were about to take off, they were relieved to see the driver still hanging on,” said the statement.
When they saw the driver, Taru then slowly moved the helicopter down towards the truck, down to six inches. Roan stepped onto the oil truck, took the driver’s hand, and helped him get on.
He was then moved to a safer location in what SWT described as ‘a high-profile rescue that ended in the best possible outcome’.
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