Couple saved after RV falls into Amazon Ravine

[sodbuster]

A British couple were rescued unhurt Wednesday, one day after their motor home fell into a ravine in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, officials said.

The Brazilian navy said the couple used a satellite phone to contact family in England, and the relatives relayed information about their location to British officials, who notified Brazil.

A navy spokeswoman said the motor home driven by Lesley Norris and Bruce Scott fell into the ravine when a small wooden bridge collapsed. She would not give her name, in keeping with a navy policy that its spokesmen comment anonymously.

The accident occurred Tuesday 200 kilometres from Manaus, capital of the jungle state of Amazonas, and the pair were rescued Wednesday morning.

They reported no injuries but were taken to a hospital in Manaus for observation. Phone calls to the hospital seeking to contact them went unanswered.

The navy spokeswoman said Norris and Scott have been travelling around Latin America for about four years. The spokeswoman said it was unclear if the motor home would be recovered or if the couple planned to continue with their tour.

The British consulate in Rio de Janeiro confirmed the couple had been rescued in the Amazon, but decline to provide any other details. It said Britain's honorary consul in Manaus would meet with the couple.

© The Associated Press, 2011


I watched this on TV on BBC World News. I don't think this story really gives you the the full picture but I couldn't find video I could post here.  The RV was a huge Mercedes RV that resembled more of a military vehicle. They were out in the real boonies (200 miles from any city) of the Amazon . They used the satellite phone to call friend in Cornwall, England. Friends contacted English Coast Guard. Who contacted Brazilian Search and Rescue. Isn't technology wonderful. I wonder what this world would look like if if the explorers from 500 to 1000 years ago had our technology.

[W. Gray]

This is shades of Operation Urgent Fury in 1983, which was the joint U.S. and Organization of Eastern Caribbean States invasion of Grenada.

A U.S. Army troop unit was pinned down by Cuban and Grenadian People's Revolutionary Army fire. The unit was unable to make radio contact to call in fire support. One of the troops placed a long distance commercial phone call to his division operations center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, using his personal AT&T calling card. The division relayed the fire support request via satellite to the Command Post in Grenada and C-130 gunship fire support was provided routing the enemy troops.

In some accounts the Army officer could see the carrier USS Independence off shore but could not contact it for aircraft support. The Navy received the message from Fort Bragg to provide the support.

In the movie, Heartbreak Ridge, it was a marine that called Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, which relayed the information back to Grenada.

In other accounts it was a Navy SEAL making the commercial phone call.