[imagesource: Sky News]

Adrian Nel was the first confirmed South African death as a result of the attack on the Mozambican town of Palma, by insurgents from a local Islamist organisation called Allu Sunna wa Jama, or al-Shabaab, or ISIS-Mozambique (known locally as al-Shabaab).

Weeks after the attack on March 24, Mozambican military leaders say the area is now  “under 100 percent control by Mozambican authorities,” but those claims have been contested.

No matter what happens from here on out, for those who were forced to endure days of coming under fire from insurgents, and for the family of Nel, the memories will never go away.

Wesley Nel, together with father Greg and brother Adrian, spent three days trapped inside the Amarula Lodge in Palma, along with almost 200 others.

Speaking to Sky News, Wesley detailed how they came to the decision to try and flee in a convoy, as hopes of being rescued faded away:

“The gunfire just didn’t stop,” Mr Nel said. “The mortars – you’re talking about 100’s of mortars going off… probably 40 to 50 an hour. We counted them…

“They [the insurgents] must have been stockpiling tonnes of ammunition nearby or in the town for months before.”

…”We, 100% thought we were going to get out by helicopter [on the first day of the terror attack],” Mr Nel said.

However, it was only the helicopters from Dyck Advisory Group (DAG) that attempted rescues, but their choppers could only take six at a time, with women, children, and the sick going first.

Mere weeks after being accused of war crimes, DAG, along with a number of unarmed fishing charters, tugboats, cargo ships, oil tankers, sea ferries, and yachts that braved fire to take civilians from beaches, have been hailed as heroes.

As the insurgents drew closer, Wesley realised it was only a matter of time “before they breached the gates and we were slaughtered,” and desperation set in.

First, Adrian risked his life in order to recover a weapon that was outside of the hotel’s gate, before the decision was made to form a convoy of vehicles.

Adrian opted to be one of the drivers, but within minutes, the insurgents opened fire, and he was hit twice.

Wesley says he remembers saying his goodbyes:

“He started shouting that he’s hit, he’s hit and his leg was off and he can’t drive… someone needs to take over… and everyone was shouting keep driving as far as you can.

“He was like, I’m trying. Probably about a kilometre after, he was saying I can’t… I’m going guys, I’m going…”

His brother pulled over to the side and when Wesley reached him, he was shaking uncontrollably. Now the younger brother took over the driving… And all the time, his younger brother is trying to reassure him of his love.

Mr Nel breaks down as he remembers: “I was shouting that I love him and that I’d look after his family and that I’m so, so sorry that this had happened to him.”

It’s impossible to read that without a lump in the throat, and it’s another reminder that the death toll from an attack like this only scratches the surface in terms of how many people have been affected.

Here’s Wesley, detailing all of the above, along with footage shot from moments before the convoy left the hotel:

After hiding in the bushes, they were rescued the following day by DAG choppers, with Adrian’s body alongside his brother as they were airlifted out.

Colonel Lionel Dyck, DAG’s chief, has described similar scenes, as have Mozambican soldiers who spoke of being overwhelmed by hundreds of insurgents.

Sky’s correspondent on the scene, Alex Crawford, also compiled the below report on how the massacre unfolded:

[source:sky]