SA helps rescue Norwegian

[Rudolph]

SA helps rescue Norwegian (http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2408614,00.html)
12/10/2008 14:23 - (SA)


Johannesburg - South Africa is taking part in an air mission to rescue a severely injured Norwegian mechanic at an Antarctica research station, the Sunday Times reported on Sunday.

Sigurd Sande, aged 50, broke his leg nine days ago at the Norwegian polar team base at Troll.

On Friday bad weather caused South African pilots and medics to abort a rescue attempt.

Their private jet which flew out of Cape Town reached the "point of no return" about 1 500km from Troll.

At this stage, if the team had continued, they would not have had enough fuel to return to Cape Town.

Sande, part of Norway's research team in Antarctica, broke his leg while hiking. He has a complex leg fracture and is being treated by the team doctor. However if his leg is to be saved he urgently needs to get treatment at the nearest hospital, which is in Cape Town.

The South African rescue team hopes to make a second rescue attempt on Wednesday or Thursday if weather conditions permit.

A number of aircraft options are ready to leave from Cape Town's International Airport at a moment's notice, said the Sunday Times.

The South African base in Antarctica is about 200 kilometres from Troll, making them the Norwegians' nearest neighbours.

- SAPA

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Bit jumping the gun with the title, but will see what happens.

[domokun]

Sigurd Sande, aged 50, broke his leg nine days ago at the Norwegian polar team base at Troll.


OMG on name of place, but at least we have some thing new to say to trolls: STFU and go to Troll!

Good pr for SA. For Sgurds sake I hope that next attempt is successiful.

[Rudolph]

'My family kept me alive'
20/10/2008 22:25 - (SA)

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2413007,00.html

Alicestine October, Die Burger

Cape Town - Thinking about his wife and children was all that kept him going while he crawled down the face of a 2000m-high Antarctic mountain in temperatures of -30 °C with a broken leg.

Sigurd Sande, 49, a Norwegian mechanic, was evacuated to the Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital by a South African team at the weekend after breaking one of his legs in two places and spraining his ankle.

Sande waited for assistance for 15 days. A gynaecologist at the base had to perform an emergency procedure based on telephonic instructions to prevent the amputation of his foot.

Recovering in hospital on Monday, he said an outing to the top of the mountain and the broken leg had nearly cost him his life.

"I thought about my family. I thought I was going to die."

The friend who was with him refused to answer every time Sande asked whether he was going to die.

It has been eight months since Sande last saw his family after joining the Norwegian base at Antarctica.

"It [working in Antarctica] was a dream come true, but now my wife will never let me go back. But at least I have the memories and the photos," he said.

- Die Burger