Photo: Su Arslanoglu / E+ / Getty Images
An Australian woman found herself in a precarious situation when she dropped her phone into a 10-foot crevice between two boulders while hiking in the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney. The woman, identified as Matilda Campbell, went in head-first to retrieve her phone and ended up getting stuck upside down for seven hours.
Campbell's friends initially tried to free her but were unsuccessful. With no phone reception in the area, they had to leave her to call for help. The New South Wales (NSW) Ambulance service responded to the call. "In my 10 years as a rescue paramedic, I had never encountered a job like this," said Peter Watts, a paramedic with the NSW Ambulance Service, according to ABC News.
The rescue operation was complex and involved moving several heavy boulders to create a safe access point. A hardwood frame was built to ensure stability while rescuers worked. It took several hours to access Campbell's feet. The final challenge was navigating her out through a tight "S" bend over the course of an hour. A specialized Tirfor winch was used to move a massive 500kg boulder.
After seven hours, Campbell was finally freed. Despite the ordeal, she only suffered minor scratches and bruises. However, she was unable to retrieve her phone. Campbell thanked the rescue team online, saying, "Thank you to the team who saved me you guys are literally life savers. Too bad about the phone tho."