Gardener rescued after six hours in hole

A GARDENER was pulled from a deep trench late on Sunday night in Summerstrand after the walls of a hole collapsed.

Motherwell resident Amandla Dyani, 43, was uninjured after his six-hour ordeal except for a cut on his forehead, which needed stitches, after he was hit by a falling stone.

He could not be contacted yesterday but Keith Bowler, his employer in Millard Crescent, said he was hugely relieved and praised the efforts of the metro emergency crews.

“It was a freak accident. We were trying to trace a sewage pipe connection which needed plumbing work and Amandla was supposed to go down just 1.5m but kept digging deeper,” Bowler said.

The sandy Summerstrand soil had started off moist but became progressively drier and less stable through the day.

At about 4.15pm, Bowler was behind a nearby shed when he heard the walls of the hole collapsing.

He raced around and found Dyani standing upright in the hole, which was now about 3m deep, with sand up to his midriff, unable to move.

Efforts were immediately made to dig him out but it soon became clear that professional help was needed.

The fire department arrived within 10 minutes but was unable to get Dyani out and, as they tried, the sides collapsed again.

The metro emergency services team then arrived and immediately set about stabilising the sides of the hole with shoring boards and jacks, and them began digging Amandla out, spade by spade.

“It could have been far worse. I’m so grateful to the fire department and emergency services for their efforts,” Bowler said.

Nelson Mandela Bay Emergency Medical Services boss Brenhan Metune said Dyani was taken to Livingstone Hospital.

“He suffered a minor head injury with neck and back pain. His vital signs were stable. After being X-rayed he was given medicine and discharged.”