A whitewater rafter on Tasmania’s Franklin River was rescued after having to have his leg amputated after an entrapment. According to reports, a rescue attempt ended in a save after 20 hours of the rafter being trapped in a narrow, rock-lined chute. The victim, in this 60s, fell down into the rocky corridor and his leg got pinned. He was partially submerged in water throughout the ordeal, and rescuers said it was clear that “had he remained in the location where he was, and trapped in the rock crevice he would not have survived.”
After a number of unsuccessful attempts were made to free the man overnight and as his condition deteriorated, the decision was made to amputate his leg so he could be winched from the location and airlifted to hospital. “He was wedged like an hourglass,” rescuers said.
“This rescue was an extremely challenging and technical operation, and an incredible effort over many hours to save the man’s life,” Doug Oosterloo, acting assistant commissioner at Tasmania Police, said in a statement.
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