Dramatic moment boaters on dam rescued from edge of 130ft drop

This is the moment four men were rescued from boat at it teetered precariously on the edge of a 130ft drop off the side of a dam.

National Sea Rescue Institute (NRSI) crews were dispatched to the Grootdraai Dam in Mpumalanga, South Africa, on Monday (29 December) after the boat suffered motor failure and drifted toward the edge of the spillway as millions of gallons of water thundered over the side of the dam wall.

Dramatic drone footage shows the men hanging to the boat to avoid being washed over the edge of the dam - as the vessel itself is listing with its bow hanging over the edge of the drop.

In a statement, the NRSI revealed disaster was averted by quick-thinking of dam employees who opened sluice gates on the spillway, creating a vacuum which held the boat in place long enough for rescuers to attend.

The four men were later recovered from the water uninjured, using a throw line.

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