Rescuers race to save four men clinging to boat on edge of 130ft dam

Footage shows the terrifying moment four men were left clinging to a boat as it sat precariously on top of a 130ft-high dam.

The ski-boat had reportedly drifted to the spill wall on the Vaal River in Standerton, in the province of Mpumalanga in South Africa on Monday.

The video footage shows the four men in the water holding onto the stranded vessel as water rushes over the edge of the dam.

A multi-agency rescue operation was launched at 7.15pm but it took hours before the men were safely brought to shore.

Boats were launched several miles upstream as crews planned their approach, The Sun reports.

Rescuers eventually decided to divert the water to stop the boat from being pushed over the edge and opened three sluice gates at 9.40pm.

Nearby campers were alerted in case the area flooded as a result.

A line with a buoy was then thrown from a rescue boat towards the men, who were instructed to secure themselves to it.

The men, who were all wearing life jackets, were then pulled towards the boat and safely brought onboard.

Once onshore, paramedics checked them over and all were found to be uninjured.

Rescuers later said the ski boat, which is designed for waterskiing, appeared to have suffered a mechanical failure before drifting to the edge of the dam.

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