Brit student shot by hijackers while volunteering at animal sanctuary

14 July 2023 , 18:53

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The trio were targeted as they travelled in a Suzuki Chery (Image: South African Police Service)

A student at a British university volunteering at an animal sanctuary in South Africa has been shot by armed robbers.

The young woman and another tourist suffered bullet wounds as hijackers near Kruger National Park tried to force their car off a road. The pair were shot through the doors of the Suzuki Chery but the hail of bullets also smashed the windscreen and windows, showering the terrified passengers with flying glass.

The masked thugs fired at their car at least four times, then tore open the sliding doors and jumped in the driver's seat before taking the hysterical girls on a hellish ride. They drove the students, who were set to start a photography internship, to a secluded spot near White River, 25 miles from the Kruger gates in Mpumalanga Province.

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Volunteers with African Impact come up close with an elephant on a previous tour (AfricanImpact.com)

The three gunmen stole the tourists' luggage, camera equipment and laptops worth thousands of pounds as well as stripping them of their mobile phones, cash, valuables and jewellery. The victims were then abandoned on the dark dirt track while two of the tearful girls were bleeding from their bullet wounds.

A third volunteer, who was uninjured, then took the wheel of the Suzuki and drove to find help, pulling over at the Timrite Yaverland sawmill. She then flagged down nearby security guards who raised the alarm, before emergency services rushed to the scene.

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Paramedics stabilised the two students who had been shot while all three were treated for cuts from the flying glass. The trio were taken to the Nelspruit Mediclinic at Mbombela where they were also treated for shock following the traumatising incident.

All three of the victims had signed up for a month-long £3,750 Photography and Wildlife Conservation Course with African Impact.

A South African Police spokesman said: "A Suzuki parked at the sawmill a few minutes later and three white females came out of the vehicle crying for help and said that they had been shot by unknown suspects.

"They took all their belongings and there were two victims who had been shot and were taken to hospital with serious injuries and it is being treated as attempted murder.

"No arrests have been made as yet of the suspects who were in a silver VW Polo."

Greg Bows, Founder of African Impact, said: "This was obviously a horrifying ordeal for our volunteers to go through while they were enjoying some free time a few hours’ drive from our project base.

"Understandably they, their parents and the whole group were left deeply shocked by what happened.

“As an organisation our focus is on helping support the three volunteers involved and their families as best we can, as well as the whole project group, including providing professional trauma support to anyone who needs it.

"We continue to work closely with the police and other relevant authorities as they investigate.

“I’m pleased to report that in the weeks since it happened, the volunteers have returned to the volunteer base and have got back into their volunteering work as soon as they felt ready.”