According to Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism executive director The Nghitila, the tourists were never missing but could not be reached due to no network in the area. He said the tourists were also senior citizens, who move at a slower pace, and were thus only delayed. AFP reported earlier in the week that the missing tourists were South African citizens, who were part of a group of ten, who sent out a distress call on Saturday when they could not find their way out of the canyon, prompting a helicopter and ground search-and-rescue operation. The canyon, located next to the border with South Africa, is the largest on the continent and constitutes a 160km long ravine, spanning 27km in width and dropping around 550m deep. Tourists flock to the area for its majestic but ragged hiking trail, considered to be one of the most popular in Southern Africa.
SOURCE: IOL