16 | The Banda Alumni | Issue 12
daring
Helicopter Rescue
It was 4:30 PM on the afternoon of 3rd May 2023 when Taru Carr-Hartley ( Class of 2011 ) flying the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust helicopter , accompanied by Roan Carr-Hartley ( Class of 2013 ) sprung into action . They could immediately spot the breached truck , dwarfed by the angry river . As they flew closer , they were relieved to see the driver , still hanging on .
The crisis intensified when the water pushed the tanker on its side , smashing the windscreen and engulfing the cabin . The man clung to the top , but it was only a matter of time before the river engulfed the entire vehicle . Onlookers watched helplessly from the shore , unable to intervene , as the current made any sort of crossing impossible .
Paraphrased from Sheldrick Wildlife Trust website