Jo'burg man falls to death at Victoria Falls

Harare, Zimbabwe

04 January 2005 11:01

A Johannesburg man died on New Year's Eve when he fell 40m down a rock face at the Victoria Falls while trying to recover spectacles he had dropped, Zimbabwe police confirmed on Tuesday.

Inspector Casper Nhepera said Michael John Drake (50) fell to his death near the 100-year-old Victoria Falls bridge, which links Zimbabwe and Zambia, after dropping his spectacles while taking photographs.

Rocks and vegetation are notoriously slippery along the lip of the 80m chasm, which is wetted continually by spray.

"He went down the gorge in an effort to retrieve his spectacles," said Nherera. "During that process he slipped and fell 40m down the gorge. His girlfriend accompanying him immediately informed the police who attended the scene."

His body was recovered by helicopter.

Police have tightened security on both sides of the falls after a spate of robberies of tourists in recent years. -- Sapa-DPA

http://www.mg.co.za/content/l3.asp?cg=BreakingNews-Africa&ao=177372

Submitted on 01/04/2005

Submitted by: Johan Groenewald
Reference: Mail & Guardian 4 Jan 2005

Copyright © 2005 DarwinAwards.com

Daniel said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
Let's see; I'm blind, so I think I'll climb down a wet,vertical rock face to look for my glasses?

Jack said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
I have mixed feelings about this one, but as one whose glasses seem to jump out of my pocket whenever I think about bending over, I must admit that climbing down a wet rock face in search of a lost pair of glasses is rather stupid. He should have had a spare pair.

Charles said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
I'll side with the other moderators here. Glasses are replaceable. If you don't have a spare pair with you, you can at least get your girlfriend to help you navigate.

Jason said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
This is a good example of DA material. Being visually impaired without my glasses I can see how this could have been just an accident, but he did make the attempt to go down the gorge to retrieve them. Not Smart.

Jorge said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
He got a closer look