A woman was left with her feet up in the air and stranded between two huge rocks after trying to retrieve her dropped iPhone from a deep crevasse.
The shocking incident happened earlier this month, with paramedics rushing to the scene which they described as something they have ‘never encountered’ before.
After fumbling her iPhone while hiking in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia, the woman fell in to a three-metre hole between massive boulders.
Very much stuck between a rock and a hard place (NSW Ambulance)
Given the size of the hole and her entering head first, she was left upside down with no ability to drag herself out and to safety.
With no phone reception in the area to call for help, her friends tried and failed when calling for emergency services, which in Australia is triple zero.
Hanging upside down by her ankles for an hour at this point, NSW paramedics were finally called to the scene to rescue the woman.
And it wasn’t exactly an easy task, with emergency services having to create a stable wooden frame before removing several heavy boulders, so that the other rocks did not give way and squash the stuck woman.
The team spent seven hours on site saving the woman (NSW Ambulance)
After removing the rocks, which weighed more than 500 kilograms, the woman spent more than an hour being navigated through an extremely tight ‘S’ bend in the rock formation.
NSW Ambulance specialist rescue paramedic, Peter Watts, said: “In my 10 years as a rescue paramedic I had never encountered a job quite like this, it was challenging but incredibly rewarding.
“Every agency had a role, and we all worked incredibly well together to achieve a good outcome for the patient.”
All in all, the rescue operation took more than seven hours.
After removing 500kg of rock, the woman could finally be freed (NSW Ambulance)
Injuries wise, the woman was left with just bruises and scratches – something that feels like a miracle of sorts given the predicament she was faced to deal with.
And while she was successfully rescued, the woman’s iPhone remains lost. Ah well.
Posting about the rescue on social media, Facebook users have applauded the paramedics for their work.
“Well done to all involved so glad she is safe and unhurt,” one person wrote.
A second said: “Oh my gosh. The young lady is so lucky you were able to get her out.
“I hope she bought a lottery ticket and shares the winnings with you all.”
And a third member of the public added: “Wow, just wow. What a mighty and fantastic effort and demonstration of true team work. Thank you for your service to the community.”