An American tourist, whose journey began in wonder, met a horrific end on the merciless rocks 108 metres below the Zambian edge of the Victoria Falls gorge.

The tragic incident is believed to have occurred on Monday evening.

Preliminary accounts from authorities suggest the man slipped on the treacherous, spray-slicked edge of the Victoria Falls, plummeting face down onto the rocky base of the gorge.

His absence only became a tangible fear on Tuesday, when a local lodge in Victoria Falls reported one of their guests, an American national, missing.

“He left Zimbabwe for Zambia on Monday and was reportedly seen drinking in Zambia before heading to the falls at the Zambian side,” said a witness who spoke on condition of anonymity.

As the sun began its descent on Tuesday evening, a chilling sight ended the search as a motionless object was spotted on the distant rocks near the Zambian side.

What followed was a gruelling, 10-hour marathon of human resolve against the raw indifference of nature.

At first light on Wednesday, a joint operation spearheaded by the Zambian police commenced. The mission was to recover a fellow human being from one of the most inaccessible ‘graves’ on earth.

The location was a vertical nightmare, a sheer cliff face perpetually slick with the Falls’ breath.

Recognising the difficulty, Zambian Commandos were deployed, later joined by the Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe Republic Police, and a local tour operating company, forging a rare cross-border pact in the name of dignity.

The operation’s heart-stopping moment, witnessed by journalists, came when a Zambian Commando, harnessed by little more than courage and a rope, descended into the gorge using the rope around 2pm.

Lowered slowly against the buffeting winds and spray, he reached the body, a task requiring the steadiness of a mountaineer and the solemnity of a pallbearer.

Securing the remains onto a stretcher was only the first act of an epic trial. By around 6pm on Wednesday, under a fading sky, the most gruelling phase began.

The team faced the most difficult task of hauling the stretcher, heavy with its tragic burden, up the near-vertical, slippery rock face.

Every inch was a battle against gravity, fatigue, and the psychological weight of the endeavour. The climb was so punishing that a reinforcement team from the Zimbabwe National Army was sent down from the bridge to integrate into a human chain of exhaustion and determination.

Determined with effort, they passed the stretcher from one set of weary hands to another, in a slow, solemn reverse of the victim’s fatal fall.

Finally, after hours of brutal ascent, the team emerged onto the Victoria Falls Bridge close to nightfall.

There, in the twilight, the body was solemnly transferred to a waiting Zambian Police vehicle and taken to Zambia for formal identification and processing.

Authorities close to the retrieval described the operation as extremely difficult and that the body had been identified as that of the American reported missing in Zimbabwe.

The authorities on both sides of the Zambezi declined to comment at the scene, promising to issue a statement later. – Herald

An American tourist, whose journey began in wonder, met a horrific end on the merciless rocks 108 metres below the Zambian edge of the Victoria Falls gorge.

The tragic incident is believed to have occurred on Monday evening.

Preliminary accounts from authorities suggest the man slipped on the treacherous, spray-slicked edge of the Victoria Falls, plummeting face down onto the rocky base of the gorge.

His absence only became a tangible fear on Tuesday, when a local lodge in Victoria Falls reported one of their guests, an American national, missing.

“He left Zimbabwe for Zambia on Monday and was reportedly seen drinking in Zambia before heading to the falls at the Zambian side,” said a witness who spoke on condition of anonymity.

As the sun began its descent on Tuesday evening, a chilling sight ended the search as a motionless object was spotted on the distant rocks near the Zambian side.

What followed was a gruelling, 10-hour marathon of human resolve against the raw indifference of nature.

At first light on Wednesday, a joint operation spearheaded by the Zambian police commenced. The mission was to recover a fellow human being from one of the most inaccessible ‘graves’ on earth.

The location was a vertical nightmare, a sheer cliff face perpetually slick with the Falls’ breath.

Recognising the difficulty, Zambian Commandos were deployed, later joined by the Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe Republic Police, and a local tour operating company, forging a rare cross-border pact in the name of dignity.

The operation’s heart-stopping moment, witnessed by journalists, came when a Zambian Commando, harnessed by little more than courage and a rope, descended into the gorge using the rope around 2pm.

Lowered slowly against the buffeting winds and spray, he reached the body, a task requiring the steadiness of a mountaineer and the solemnity of a pallbearer.

Securing the remains onto a stretcher was only the first act of an epic trial. By around 6pm on Wednesday, under a fading sky, the most gruelling phase began.

The team faced the most difficult task of hauling the stretcher, heavy with its tragic burden, up the near-vertical, slippery rock face.

Every inch was a battle against gravity, fatigue, and the psychological weight of the endeavour. The climb was so punishing that a reinforcement team from the Zimbabwe National Army was sent down from the bridge to integrate into a human chain of exhaustion and determination.

Determined with effort, they passed the stretcher from one set of weary hands to another, in a slow, solemn reverse of the victim’s fatal fall.

Finally, after hours of brutal ascent, the team emerged onto the Victoria Falls Bridge close to nightfall.

There, in the twilight, the body was solemnly transferred to a waiting Zambian Police vehicle and taken to Zambia for formal identification and processing.

Authorities close to the retrieval described the operation as extremely difficult and that the body had been identified as that of the American reported missing in Zimbabwe.

The authorities on both sides of the Zambezi declined to comment at the scene, promising to issue a statement later. – Herald

An American tourist, whose journey began in wonder, met a horrific end on the merciless rocks 108 metres below the Zambian edge of the Victoria Falls gorge.

The tragic incident is believed to have occurred on Monday evening.

Preliminary accounts from authorities suggest the man slipped on the treacherous, spray-slicked edge of the Victoria Falls, plummeting face down onto the rocky base of the gorge.

His absence only became a tangible fear on Tuesday, when a local lodge in Victoria Falls reported one of their guests, an American national, missing.

“He left Zimbabwe for Zambia on Monday and was reportedly seen drinking in Zambia before heading to the falls at the Zambian side,” said a witness who spoke on condition of anonymity.

As the sun began its descent on Tuesday evening, a chilling sight ended the search as a motionless object was spotted on the distant rocks near the Zambian side.

What followed was a gruelling, 10-hour marathon of human resolve against the raw indifference of nature.

At first light on Wednesday, a joint operation spearheaded by the Zambian police commenced. The mission was to recover a fellow human being from one of the most inaccessible ‘graves’ on earth.

The location was a vertical nightmare, a sheer cliff face perpetually slick with the Falls’ breath.

Recognising the difficulty, Zambian Commandos were deployed, later joined by the Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe Republic Police, and a local tour operating company, forging a rare cross-border pact in the name of dignity.

The operation’s heart-stopping moment, witnessed by journalists, came when a Zambian Commando, harnessed by little more than courage and a rope, descended into the gorge using the rope around 2pm.

Lowered slowly against the buffeting winds and spray, he reached the body, a task requiring the steadiness of a mountaineer and the solemnity of a pallbearer.

Securing the remains onto a stretcher was only the first act of an epic trial. By around 6pm on Wednesday, under a fading sky, the most gruelling phase began.

The team faced the most difficult task of hauling the stretcher, heavy with its tragic burden, up the near-vertical, slippery rock face.

Every inch was a battle against gravity, fatigue, and the psychological weight of the endeavour. The climb was so punishing that a reinforcement team from the Zimbabwe National Army was sent down from the bridge to integrate into a human chain of exhaustion and determination.

Determined with effort, they passed the stretcher from one set of weary hands to another, in a slow, solemn reverse of the victim’s fatal fall.

Finally, after hours of brutal ascent, the team emerged onto the Victoria Falls Bridge close to nightfall.

There, in the twilight, the body was solemnly transferred to a waiting Zambian Police vehicle and taken to Zambia for formal identification and processing.

Authorities close to the retrieval described the operation as extremely difficult and that the body had been identified as that of the American reported missing in Zimbabwe.

The authorities on both sides of the Zambezi declined to comment at the scene, promising to issue a statement later. – Herald