Gift of the Givers Notes No Further Deaths on Snow Laden N3 As Humanitarian Aid Pauses, Roads Open
- Humanitarian aid organisation Gift of the Givers paused interventions along the snowy N3 route on 22 September
- One person died from hypothermia in a taxi stuck on the route between Estcourt and Harrismith a day earlier
- Heavy snow forced a complete route closure while emergency rescue services and aid assistance dispatched
- Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman told Briefly News that most roads were expected to open on Sunday
Source: Original
ESTCOURT — One person died in a taxi trapped in thick snow as cold temperatures continued to batter parts of KwaZulu-Natal along the closed N3 on Saturday evening, 21 September.
Humanitarian aid organisation, the Gift of the Givers, told Briefly News that no further deaths or persons in distress were reported on Sunday morning.
Gift of the Givers notes no further deaths
The N3 Toll Concession (N3TC) shut down the road between Estcourt and Harrismith at the Van Reenen's and Oliviershoek Pass on the R74 after heavy snow forced a route closure early on.
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Authorities had warned of poor visibility due to the disruptive conditions at the time. On Sunday, rescue operations continued full steam ahead.
"Rescue operations are continuing between [the] Van Reenen's Pass and Swinburne (Montrose) under extremely challenging conditions. Please avoid travel between Tugela Plaza and Harrismith until further notice," N3TC said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Gift of the Givers dispatched relief aid alongside other emergency rescue players, including the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The organisation's founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, told Briefly News that his entity had paused its humanitarian aid interventions as rescue operations were finalised. At the same time, the routes appeared likely to open during the day.
"[There is] no need for further intervention at the moment as most roads will be opened sometime today. We won't leave KZN; our head office is in Pietermaritzburg. We also have an office in Estcourt [and] can respond again if necessary," Sooliman told Briefly News.
When asked about the mood among motorists stuck in the snow for more than 24 hours, Sooliman said most people appeared to be in high spirits.
"They are happy the roads are opening, and they can carry on their journey for the long weekend. There were no other medical emergencies either as far as we know," he explained.
The organisation set up aid at a community hall in Estcourt, where those passing by could receive prepared meals and hot drinks.
"While hot meals were being prepared, we set out with blankets, energy bars, fruit, energy drinks and water," said Sooliman.
"We set out on foot to distribute the items at the furthest point into the snow that our vehicle could reach. Some areas were too deep [and] we had to throw items across the road to reach the northbound lane.
"The community hall in Estcourt was opened to the public to bring donations, and the response was overwhelming."
He said local businesses and community members came on board to deliver the needed items, and the N3 was reopened at about 15:00.
"The traffic started to flow again ... more hot meals were prepared, blankets and water packed for the journey to Van Reenen's as we set off assisting vehicles stuck in the snow for more than 24 hours by the time we had reached them."
The Gift of the Givers ceased their efforts at 03:00 on Sunday.
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Source: Briefly News
