By Maimbo Mweemba
A helicopter carrying two American tourists and a South African pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in a sewer pond near Chrisma Hotel in Livingstone yesterday.
The Enstrom helicopter, registered as ZSHDO, took off from Batoka Sky at 16:40 hours for a 15-minute flight over Victoria Falls.
However, just 10 minutes later, the engine suddenly stopped, forcing pilot Steenkamp Jurie Johannes Reyneke to execute an emergency landing.
The helicopter landed partially submerged in the sewer pond, with one of its rotor blades appearing deformed. Fortunately, all three individuals on board were evacuated safely, with no injuries recorded.
Southern Province Police Commanding officer Auxensio Daka confirmed the incident and stated that the two American passengers were taken to Royal Hotel for trauma management and were not available for interviews. The helicopter remains at the scene, with police officers deployed to provide security pending the arrival of aircraft accident investigators.
