Cape Town – A 22-year-old man from Pretoria, Julian Otto, was reportedly rescued from a stormwater drain on Wednesday with the help of a dog and the Sinoville Firefighting Organisation.
Otto’s family had last seen him on Monday.
Otto had requested an e-hailing service to Wonderboom but later cancelled it.
He was found dehydrated and in distress in a drain at the corner of Goshawk and Besembiesie in Montana Park, reports said.
On Wednesday afternoon, he was discovered trapped in a drain covered by a concrete slab.
According to Times Live, his rescue was spearheaded by the nonprofit Sinoville Firefighting Organisation.
Johan Botha, the organisation’s leader, said that a resident walking a dog at the corner of Besembiesie and Goshawk streets in Montana Park noticed the dog sniffing and barking at the drain where Otto was trapped.
“We received a call from a person saying there was someone in the drain. The CPF contacted us and we mobilised our members and went to the scene.
“We at first said we’d have to break the concrete but it was on top of him and very heavy so if it fell on him it could have killed him. We then decided to lift it and, fortunately for us, the public had given us donations and we were able to buy the correct equipment,” the report quoted Botha as saying.
Otto was extracted safely and taken to the hospital in stable condition.
According to The Citizen, Botha said that the victim was disoriented and dehydrated, which complicated communication and efforts to keep him calm.
“We had to make a plan fast because we didn’t know in what state he was. The fact that we got him alive was a miracle, but I just kept wondering how he ended up there,” he said.
Otto’s mother reported that he was recovering well.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
