A woman in Australia was stuck upside down deep inside a crevice for hours after she fell while trying to retrieve her phone.
Matilda Campbell, 23, was bushwalking with friends when her phone fell into a three-metre-deep crevice in Hunter Valley in New South Wales on 12 October. She bent down to retrieve the phone when she slipped and fell head-first inside the crevice, hanging by her feet.
Her friends initially tried to pull her out of the hole but were forced to trek for reception to call the triple-0 emergency services for help.
Cessnock Volunteer Rescue Association and Rural Fire Service were the first responders to reach the location within an hour of the incident. Shortly after, the police and medics were called in to aide the rescue operation.
New South Wales (NSW) Ambulance paramedics moved boulders using a specialist winch to reach the woman but faced the tricky task of navigating her out from her precarious position.
NSW Ambulance specialist rescue paramedic Peter Watts said he never encountered a "job quite like this" in his decade-long career. "It was challenging but incredibly rewarding," he said.
The rescue crew had to remove several heavy boulders weighing between 80 to 500kg to gain access to her. "With care, a hardwood frame was built to ensure stability while rescuers worked," the ambulance team said in a statement.
Once the boulders were removed using a specialised winch, the woman's feet were finally accessible for the authorities to rescue her.
Mr Watts climbed down into the crevice to bring her back to safety, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
"Everyone had to bounce ideas off each other – we were all like, 'How did she get down there and how are we going to get her out?'" he said.
“Every agency had a role, and we all worked incredibly well together to achieve a good outcome for the patient," he added.
The woman was freed seven hours after she fell and sustained only minor scratches and bruises, the authorities said, adding that she was in good spirits despite her predicament.
"She was such a trooper," Mr Watts said. "... when we were there she was calm, she was collected, anything we asked her to do she was able to do it to help us get her out."
However, she was unable to save her phone despite the arduous efforts.
"Thank you to the team who saved me," Ms Campbell said.
"You guys are literally lifesavers … too bad about the phone though."
