- Michael Turner managed to hold onto his jeep for 15 hours before being rescued
This is the incredible moment a British tour guide was rescued by a helicopter after clinging onto his jeep for 15 hours when he became trapped in Mozambique’s raging Komati River.
Michael Turner was crossing a bridge over the waters when a strong current swept him and the game-viewing vehicle into the river where it became wedged.
He managed to hold onto the jeep and stayed in the back of vehicle overnight after search and rescue volunteers determined the current was too strong for them to attempt to pull him to safety.
The four members from Search and Rescue South Africa kept watch throughout the night from the banks of the river.
A video posted on TikTok shows the daring rescue operation the next morning when a South African National Defence Force helicopter flew in after Mr Turner had been stuck inside the vehicle on the river for 15 hours.
This is the moment the dramatic rescue operation unfolds as a rescuer abseils down from a helicopter towards Michael Turner’s stricken jeep
Brit tour guide Michael Turner was crossing a bridge over the waters when a strong current swept him and the game-viewing vehicle into the river where it became wedged
He managed to hold onto the jeep and stayed in the back of vehicle overnight as the waters of Mozambique’s Komati river raged around him
Mr Turner was flown back to dry land where he was assessed and was said to be severely dehydrated and in shock
The 56-second clip shows the moment the rescuer winched to the helicopter abseils down to Mr Turner’s stricken jeep.
The dramatic footage shows him reaching out to the vehicle before grabbing hold of the roof as the raging current flows underneath.
Mr Turner was pulled to safety before being taken to dry land where he was assessed by paramedics and said to be severely dehydrated and in shock.
Speaking about the dramatic rescue on Friday, police spokesperson Brig Selvy Mohlala told South African newspaper Times Live: ‘Today Mpumalanga police divers in collaboration with the South African National Defence Force based in Hoedspruit managed to rescue the man through a helicopter brought by the soldiers.
‘However, the car is still stuck inside the river.’
Mr Turner was believed to be driving to the nearby town of Komatipoort, in South Africa, when disaster struck.