Police: tourists killed in fire
Police: tourists killed in fire
26 September 2007
published by www.iol.co.za
KZN, South Africa — Police believe that a Canadian couple, found burnt beyond recognition in KwaZulu-Natal’s northern Drakensberg mountains on Wednesday, died in a veld fire.
Spokesperson Superintendent Piet Scott said the couple went for a walk on Thursday and never returned.
“But there was apparently a huge veld fire in that area at the time. Police believe they died in the fire,” said Scott.
The identity of the couple has been withheld until their families have been informed.
The couple arrived at the Royal National Park in Bergville on Thursday and had booked a cabin.
Jack Haskins of the police search and rescue team said: “The couple had paid for their fees from Thursday to Saturday. On the day of their arrival, they were waiting for their cabin to be sorted out. They went for a stroll on the mountain but did not return.”
When they could not be found, KZN Wildlife sent out a search party to look for their couple. After an intensive search deep within the mountains, the husband and wife were found.
They had been burnt to death.
Local Bergville police then broke open their doors to the couple’s vehicle to find contact numbers for their families.
“We found their bags of clothes still in the vehicle. They had not even unpacked,” one of the officers told Sapa.
