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Woman Trapped Upside Down for 7 Hours After Attempting to Retrieve Phone

 

A 23-year-old woman became trapped upside down between two boulders for seven hours in Australia’s Hunter Valley after trying to retrieve her dropped phone. The incident occurred on October 12 near the town of Laguna, approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Sydney.

The woman had been walking with friends on a private property when she accidentally dropped her phone into a narrow crevice. While attempting to retrieve it, she slipped headfirst down a 3-meter (10-foot) chute between the rocks, becoming tightly wedged. With no phone signal in the area, her friends had to leave to call for help, leading to a complex and delicate rescue operation.

New South Wales (NSW) Ambulance specialist paramedic Peter Watts, who was among the first to arrive on the scene, described the situation as unprecedented. “My initial thought was, how are we going to get her out of here?” he told CNN. “It was like a mix of trench rescue, confined space rescue, and vertical rescue all at once.”

The woman was wedged between a 10-centimeter (4-inch) gap, with only her feet visible. The site was located about 50 meters (164 feet) down an overgrown bush track, making it inaccessible even for off-road vehicles. Emergency responders, including police, ambulance, fire, and volunteer rescue teams, converged on the area to free her.

The rescuers’ main concern was ensuring the woman did not slip further down the narrow chute. They advised her to remain still as they carefully removed surrounding rocks, knowing that any sudden movement could worsen her position. Watts explained that the team was particularly cautious when moving rocks, as a misstep could lead to the boulders collapsing further into the crevice.

The operation took several hours, requiring the removal of six large boulders before rescuers could finally reach her feet. The most challenging obstacle was a 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) boulder, which was ultimately shifted using a winch. As the rescuers worked, they had to carefully maneuver her body to navigate the irregular, twisting passage, creating an ‘S’ shape to extract her hips, shoulders, and legs.

Despite the harrowing ordeal, Watts commended the woman’s composure. “She was so calm and collected throughout,” he said. “I was very impressed. She was not panicked whatsoever.” After hours of painstaking effort, she was freed at around 4:30 p.m., expressing a deep sense of relief.

Once freed, the woman was dizzy and exhausted, unable to stand due to blood pooling in her head. Fortunately, she sustained only minor scratches and bruises. She was transported to the hospital for observation, while her phone, the source of the incident, remains stuck between the rocks.

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Fred Lamy

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