'His body was in pieces, there was nothing I could do' - helicopter crash witness
28 September 2017
Cape Town – "His body was in pieces. I knew there was nothing I could do for him," said a Strand resident who witnessed a fatal helicopter crash on Thursday.
Azola Mxesibe, 25, from Wag 'n Bietjie settlement next to Nomzamo High School in Strand, outside of Cape Town where the helicopter crashed, said he had rushed to the scene, but knew he was too late to rescue the pilot.
Mxesibe said he had seen the helicopter circling twice in the vicinity at about midday on Thursday.
"It looked like something was wrong. Just above the school, it stopped flying and just fell straight down. I heard a loud bang. The overhead electricity cables also started making strange sounds because it hit it," Mxesibe said.
He said the aircraft was in pieces, with little fires everywhere.
"I jumped over the school fence and went straight there to try and help. The man's body was in pieces. I knew there was nothing I could do.
"The police and emergency services came quickly after that."
The children at the school said they just heard "kadwa!", and then there was a "vliegtuig" (aircraft).
On Thursday afternoon, Western Cape traffic chief Kenny Africa confirmed the incident.
The area was cordoned off.
