While on a kayak trip down the Amazon River, a young South African adventurer was ambushed by a pair of youths. His attackers shot him three times and left him for dead but, despite his serious wounds, he got up and ran 5km to the nearest village to receive help.

David du Plessis, 24, had set off near the end of July on a quest to follow the Amazon River from its origin to its mouth. This past Saturday tragedy struck when, “while kayaking down the Ucayali River near the provincial capital of Pucallpa”, David was ambushed and shot three times. The first shot flung him from his kayak, the second hit him while he was trying to reach the shore and the final shot struck him when he had reached the shore. His father, a US-based yacht captain retired from the South African navy, had flown down to be with him.

“He realised the only way he could get away was to run,” said his father, Louis du Plessis.

So that’s what he did, he ran 5km, despite internal bleeding and a serious neck wound, and stumbled into a village. Locals informed his mother, Robyn Wolff,  that he had been in an accident and, not knowing “where to start”, she took to his Facebook page for help. She posted the first message, below, on Sunday.

I need help. Does anyone know anyone in Peru, Davey has had an accident in the jungle, and I do not know where to start.

That was only the first of many online communications which saw a slew of people come to his, and his mother’s, aid online.

Yesterday, she updated the page with a full account of the incident.

Got more information out of Davey. This happened over 12 hours ago. He was shot at in his kaya. He fell out. Could not move his arm. They shot at him again he swam to get away. He has bullets in his spine, face, neck skull arms. This boy then stayed in the water thinking its over, but an instinct made him run, he ran for about 5 km to get help, he had to drag his leg and his arms had lost all feeling, he found people on the other side of the river, he tried to call for help, but no sound came out cos he had been shot in the neck. They eventually saw him and wanted money to help him, he got some help, but further along he was left in a boat for 4 hours cos he had no money, eventually after coughing up blood , which would not stop, they got scared and helped him, they wrapped him in plastic and blankets and not sure what happened from there, all I know Davey said to be last night he thought it was all over. He said to me, he is amazed he survived and ran all that way and is safe in hospital. His face is numb, he can’t hear properly, he has bullets all over his body.

“Our son is lucky to survive. It was 10 hours before he got to hospital,” she said later on.

David initially received treatment at Pucalpa Regional Hospital and was later flown to a bigger hospital in Lima, thanks to a South African brewery which helped organise and pay for the flight. He is reported to be in a stable condition.

According to his father, David still has a pellet lodged in or near his heart, has temporarily lost some hearing and had to have fluid drained from a lung.

“If he had gotten shot with anything other than a shotgun he would not be here with us. He is very, very lucky,” said his father.

Before setting off initially, David had received permission from the Peruvian military to enter the zone in which he was attacked, the military had warned him that the area was dangerous.

Local authorities in Pucallpa, under the guidance of Colonel Cesar Augusto Larrea, have launched an investigation, but no arrests have been made.

David is an avid adventurer and has completed several other impressive journeys including a cycle trip from Egypt to South Africa, his blog is a fascinating read.

[Source: News24, Facebook, Outside]