A 23-year-old woman in Australia’s Hunter Valley was trapped upside down between two large boulders for seven hours after attempting to retrieve her dropped phone. The incident occurred on October 12 in Laguna, a rural town about 120 kilometers from Sydney.
While hiking with friends on private property, the woman accidentally slipped head-first into a 3-meter crevice between two boulders, with only her feet visible. Her friends tried for an hour to free her before calling for emergency assistance.
New South Wales (NSW) Police, paramedics, fire crews, and volunteer rescuers were dispatched to the scene around 9:30 a.m. The rescue operation, which lasted for seven hours, required the removal of several heavy boulders and the construction of a special frame to navigate the narrow space. A 500-kilogram boulder was eventually shifted using a winch, allowing the woman to be freed at around 4:30 p.m.
Peter Watts, an NSW Ambulance specialist rescue paramedic, praised the collaboration involved in the rescue. “In my 10 years as a rescue paramedic, I had never encountered a job quite like this. It was challenging but incredibly rewarding,” Watts said. “Every agency worked together to achieve a good outcome for the patient.”
Miraculously, the woman sustained only minor scratches and bruises and was transported to the hospital for observation. Despite her safe rescue, her phone remained stuck between the rocks. Photos of the delicate operation, showing her feet wedged between the boulders, were shared on social media by the NSW Ambulance Service.
