Lucky...very lucky.
Updated story bellow.
Boulders, some as big as cars, say traffic authorities, crashed down the side of the Hottentots-Holland mountain and on to Sir Lowry’s Pass on Sunday, injuring 12 people and forcing the closure of the N2 at Bot River.
Relentless rain over the weekend loosened the rocks, causing the fall. Authorities feared on Sunday night that more rocks would roll down the mountain and on to the road.
Extreme weather over much of the country caused havoc on the roads and in some towns, making it almost impossible for thousands of travellers to get home.
The Karoo towns of Beaufort West and Three Sisters were brought to a standstill owing to heavy snowfalls, large parts of the Southern and Eastern Cape were flooded, and the road from the Free State to the Western Cape was closed, also as a result of snow.
The rockfall on Sir Lowry’s Pass forced thousands of holidaymakers returning to the city after the school holidays to use the coastal road, via Kleinmond, said provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa.
There was low visibility on the pass and rocks were strewn across two of the three lanes.
ER24 spokesman Werner Vermaak said six children and six adults were taken to hospital for minor injuries after two cars were hit by falling rocks late on Sunday.
Some of the motorists travelling through the pass took to Twitter to warn others about falling rocks, limited visibility and traffic congestion on both sides of the N2.
Si Maclennan said driving down Sir Lowry’s Pass was a very tense and scary experience.
“There was almost zero visibility ahead – you could only see about 100m in front of you.
“As I drove past a big rock fell on the road. Emergency services were busy clearing the scene after a car smashed into a falling rock,” said Maclennan.
Justin Lawrence tweeted: “Coming over Sir Lowry’s Pass, can’t see two metres in front of the car.”
On Sunday night, the N2 was still closed and traffic from Hermanus to Cape Town was diverted via the R44 (Clarence Drive). – Additional reporting by Lynnette Johns
Relentless rain over the weekend loosened the rocks, causing the fall. Authorities feared on Sunday night that more rocks would roll down the mountain and on to the road.
Extreme weather over much of the country caused havoc on the roads and in some towns, making it almost impossible for thousands of travellers to get home.
The Karoo towns of Beaufort West and Three Sisters were brought to a standstill owing to heavy snowfalls, large parts of the Southern and Eastern Cape were flooded, and the road from the Free State to the Western Cape was closed, also as a result of snow.
The rockfall on Sir Lowry’s Pass forced thousands of holidaymakers returning to the city after the school holidays to use the coastal road, via Kleinmond, said provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa.
There was low visibility on the pass and rocks were strewn across two of the three lanes.
ER24 spokesman Werner Vermaak said six children and six adults were taken to hospital for minor injuries after two cars were hit by falling rocks late on Sunday.
Some of the motorists travelling through the pass took to Twitter to warn others about falling rocks, limited visibility and traffic congestion on both sides of the N2.
Si Maclennan said driving down Sir Lowry’s Pass was a very tense and scary experience.
“There was almost zero visibility ahead – you could only see about 100m in front of you.
“As I drove past a big rock fell on the road. Emergency services were busy clearing the scene after a car smashed into a falling rock,” said Maclennan.
Justin Lawrence tweeted: “Coming over Sir Lowry’s Pass, can’t see two metres in front of the car.”
On Sunday night, the N2 was still closed and traffic from Hermanus to Cape Town was diverted via the R44 (Clarence Drive). – Additional reporting by Lynnette Johns
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