Kayaker presumed dead after Congo crocodile attack

[December 09, 2010]  JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- A South African man who was leading two Americans on a whitewater expedition in Central Africa is presumed dead after a crocodile attacked the kayak and dragged him away, rescuers said Thursday.

The two Americans paddled to safety after the Tuesday morning attack on the Lukuga River in Congo. The International Rescue Committee helped evacuate them to a nearby town, said Ciaran Donnelly, the organization's regional director in the country.

The body of 35-year-old Hendri Coetzee, who was living in Uganda, has not been recovered. The stretch of river where they were traveling is notoriously dangerous for its whitewater, and because of its high density of crocodiles and hippos.

"There are three-ton hippos that will bite you in half," one of the American kayakers wrote on his blog, quoting Coetzee. "Stay off the banks because the crocs are having a bake and might fancy you for lunch. Basically, stay close behind me and follow my lead. Any questions?"

The two Americans -- Ben Stookesberry and Chris Korbulic -- were "physically unharmed but shaken up by the incident," Donnelly said. They are currently in Congo but expect to return home to the U.S. shortly.

The trip was a first-of-its-kind kayaking expedition from the White Nile and Congo rivers into Congo, according to a statement from Eddie Bauer, the trip's sponsor.

"We are saddened by the tragic accident and express our deepest sympathies to Hendri's family and friends," the company said.

The three men, all experienced kayakers, were part of a mission to document unexplored whitewater and development projects in the region.

In his online blog, Coetzee discussed the importance of trusting instincts and the group's only rule -- "nobody panic."

In Coetzee's most recent entry dated Nov. 26, he wrote: "As I licked my dry lips and carefully checked that my spray deck was on properly, I had the feeling I might be doing something I should not. I pushed through the doubt and when I finally shot out the bottom of the rapid I was happy I did. It was just paranoia after all."

"Dwarfed by lush green mountains rising up to 3000 feet above us, we were drawn in ever deeper with a constant eye on the banks for trouble," he wrote.

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Coetzee's blog:
http://greatwhiteexplorer.blogspot.com/

Eddie Bauer statement:
http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/12/08/
africa-kayak-expedition-update/

[Associated Press; By JENNY GROSS]

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