LUCKY ESCAPE!

 

Two male tourists escaped death by a whisker on Sunday, after their four-seater helicopter fell from the sky, crashed and burnt beyond recognition at Mashatu Game Reserve in Semolale.

The two tourists, a Canadian national and a Motswana man, were returning from Kasane, traveling to South Africa. The helicopter crash took place when the duo were attempting to land at Mashatu Game Reserve and the pilot lost partial control over the aircraft. It crashed and caught fire, but the two were quickly rescued from open flames by the game reserve employees, who then reported the accident to the police.

Confirming the helicopter crash accident to The Midweek Sun, Station commander for Semolale police, Superintendent Edward Leposo affirmed that indeed they received a report on Sunday of a helicopter that crashed and burnt. 'The crash was caused by helicopter engine failure, the pilot and the passenger were attempting to land and it crashed before they reached the airstrip,' explained Leposo.

The tourists were injured and airlifted to South Africa, where they are recovering.

'The helicopter burnt to ashes, luckily the tourists were saved from it on time. Police investigations on the matter are still ongoing,' he concludes.