Snow seekers escape unharmed after car slides off Sani Pass

A recovery operation is underway to retrieve an Audi Q5 that slid off an icy road on the snow-engulfed Sani Pass near Underberg on Sunday.

Nathan and Brigitte Renald were returning home to northern KZN from a night at the top of the snow-covered pass when their vehicle veered off the road and landed about 15 metres below against some rocks.

Snow Report SA’s Rob Ansell said the Renalds were heading down the pass when their Audi went off the road.

The couple is understood to have managed to climb out of the vehicle.

Paramedics at the scene reportedly said the couple were lucky to escape uninjured.

“Multiple sources confirm that nobody was hurt‚” said Ansell.

Berg Protection Services managed to stabilise the vehicle and anchor it with a rope.

Ansell‚ speaking at the accident scene on Monday morning‚ said the car was still where it had landed on some rocks.

“They are going to try and do a recovery today‚” he told TimesLive.

“It’s very‚ very cold at the top of the pass today‚” he added. “It was minus 17 at 5am this morning.”

The Drakensberg mountain range has been blanketed in snow since Saturday‚ tempting scores of snow seekers to go up Sani Pass to get the best view.

Ansell said the cold weather in KwaZulu-Natal was expected to continue for a few days.