Hiker falls to his death on a cliff

MASERU – A hiker with the Thapoha Hiking Club, Liabo Elias, allegedly fell off a cliff and died between Mphosong and Ha-Lejone last Saturday.
Her body was recovered by the army on Monday after a search.

Elias, who was working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was hiking with her club members when she lost contact with her team.
It is said that she failed to contact her fellow hikers due to bad weather.

The Lesotho Defence Force spokesperson, Captain Sakeng Lekola said the army launched a search after her team members noticed that she was missing.
The search was conducted by soldiers in collaboration with other security agencies.

Capt Lekola said the search was unsuccessful on Sunday.
They resumed the search on Monday when her body was later found.

Capt Lekola said it is important for hikers to first understand the weather forecast before going for hiking.

“They should have a way of communicating during emergencies,” Captain Lekola said.

He said hikers should have a thorough knowledge and understanding about hiking before embarking on it.

“Basotho should understand the ropes (in hiking) before going out,” Capt Lekola said.

He said they should also understand the terrain and geographical features of the place they want to hike.
This should include how rivers flow because that could also be a predicament for the hikers.

Capt Lekola said hiking is all about team work.
He said during the misty weather a hiker must not move wherever he is and must let his team know about his or her whereabouts.

Capt Lekola advised hikers to have the Global Positioning System (GPS) in order for them to track each other easily during emergencies.
He said the LDF Commander, Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela, has been saddened by the death of Elias.

Thapoha Hiking Club is one of the oldest hiking clubs in Lesotho. It has been operating for over 20 years.
The deputy chairperson of the club, Lisebo Mositsi, declined to comment on the death of Elias.
Efforts to get comment from the family were also not successful yesterday.

Lemohang Tšehla & Sebabatso Mothabeng