14°c Light rain
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Canadian aid worker used humour in ordeal
BIG feet and a fortuitously placed wallet helped save a Canadian aid worker snatched at gunpoint at a Kenyan refugee camp and marched with three others across the border into Somalia, his parents said Tuesday.
Clearly relieved after days of frantic worry, Carol-Ann and Peter Dennis shared some of the humour that helped sustain their son Steve Dennis during his ordeal.
"He's tall, so he's got big feet," Carol-Ann said. "The trackers could track them because they could see the big foot and some little feet in the pattern of walking."
Aid workers Dennis, 37, of Toronto, fellow Canadian Qurat-Ul-Ain Sadazai, 38, of Gatineau, Que., Astrid Sehl, 33, of Norway, and Glenn Costes, 40, a Filipino, were taken from the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya near the Somalia border on Friday.
Their Kenyan driver was killed when four gunmen attacked.
A pro-government Somali militia rescued the aid workers Monday several kilometres inside Somalia in a mission that saw one of their captors killed.
Costes was shot during the initial kidnapping. Dennis was grazed by a bullet.
"In Steve's case, it happened to hit him right in his wallet that he carries in his front (leg) pocket -- it bruised him a little bit," his father said. "He said he was saved by his credit cards."
Dennis, who has worked with Doctors Without Borders, grabbed a first-aid kit and bound Costes' wounds, his parents said. The civil engineer also cut branches for walking poles -- his parents are instructors in Nordic pole walking -- and joked he planned to introduce the recreational exercise to the African continent.
Dennis told his parents the kidnappers treated them respectfully.
Rolf Vestvik, with the Norwegian Refugee Council that employs the aid workers, said from Oslo on Tuesday the four were spending the day resting.
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 4, 2012 A9
More Canada
- Back to Top
- Return to Canada
More Canada
(1 of 15 articles for today)
A look at the life and career of Ray Novak, prime minister's new chief of staff
4:57 PM 0View Related
Poll
Most Popular Canada
- Harper to be on hot seat at Tuesday caucus after chief of staff quits
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- A look at the life and career of Ray Novak, prime minister's new chief of staff
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford nixes weekend radio show in wake of video controversy
- Father and two children fighting for lives after Montreal area house fire
- B.C. NDP's 24-hour bus ride goes beyond Hope and crashes on election night
- Harper's body to lie in state
- Survey says: Can't trust those polls
- Fisherman found dead off New Brunswick, two others still lost at sea
- Harper government buying ads to promote job grant program that doesn't yet exist
- First-degree murder charge to be laid in test drive death; remains badly burned
- Crack-cocaine video allegations 'ridiculous,' Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says
- Duffy bailout by Harper's chief of staff prompts allegations of coverup by PMO
- Duffy quits Conservative caucus over expenses as colleagues began turning on him
- Liberals blaze to stunning B.C. victory, but Clark loses own seat
- Harper to be on hot seat at Tuesday caucus after chief of staff quits
- Quake near Ottawa rattles residents across wide swath of Ontario, Quebec
- Sen. Pamela Wallin, target of expense audit, latest to leave Conservative caucus
- Conservative senator Duffy claimed expenses while campaigning in 2011 election
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- First-degree murder charge to be laid in test drive death; remains badly burned
- Multiple fatalities after serious crash near U.S. border
- Canadian tourist dies after falling from hotel in Mexican resort
- Crack-cocaine video allegations 'ridiculous,' Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says
- Engineer charged in mall collapse
- Arrest made in case of Hamilton, Ont., man missing after pickup truck test drive
- Leaving Saskatoon: police mourn homeless drunk they considered a friend
- Man with no arms plans to fight seatbelt ticket, wants apology from police
- Suspects arrested in Via train terror plot linked to al-Qaida in Iran: RCMP
- Duffy bailout by Harper's chief of staff prompts allegations of coverup by PMO
- Harper government buying ads to promote job grant program that doesn't yet exist
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- AECL still a money-loser: watchdog
- Fisherman found dead off New Brunswick, two others still lost at sea
- Harper to be on hot seat at Tuesday caucus after chief of staff quits
- U.S. bill would give Canadian snowbirds more time to spend in the sun
- Duffy bailout by Harper's chief of staff prompts allegations of coverup by PMO
- First-degree murder charge to be laid in test drive death; remains badly burned
- Search on for living creatures far beneath Canadian Shield
- Quake near Ottawa rattles residents across wide swath of Ontario, Quebec
- Effort afoot in court to sue Canadians for illegal downloads
- 'Not looking for blame,' grieving father says of fatal rugby tackle
- Federal Court to test expedited hearings for some visa-rejection reviews
- Conservative senator Duffy claimed expenses while campaigning in 2011 election
- Grade 5 kids urge Harper to drop mean attack ads against Justin Trudeau
- U.S. bill would give Canadian snowbirds more time to spend in the sun
- Foul fascination: Edmonton plant beautiful, but stinks like diapers, dead animals
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- Man with no arms plans to fight seatbelt ticket, wants apology from police
- Suspects arrested in Via train terror plot linked to al-Qaida in Iran: RCMP
- Leaving Saskatoon: police mourn homeless drunk they considered a friend
- Commanding officer of Canadian Forces base in Alberta charged with sex assault
- Duffy bailout by Harper's chief of staff prompts allegations of coverup by PMO
- Engineer charged in mall collapse
- What's snot OK with eating your own boogers?
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.