A man has been successfully rescued from the Nine Mile opal mine in Coober Pedy, South Australia, the ABC reported.
The State Emergency Service (SES) and Country Fire Service (CFS) rescue crews, among other emergency responders, were called to the Nine Mile opal field around 8pm last night, January 14.
The man was flown to hospital via the Royal Flying Doctor Service with what the SA police confirmed were non-life-threatening injuries, including a fractured leg and a dislocated shoulder.
The Coober Pedy SES thanked its volunteers for their quick response to the rescue, which took about three hours, in a Facebook post.
“Lucky there isn’t a huge demand for mine rescues but with our specialist Vertical Rescue training we were able to execute a successful rescue with the assistance of CFS, SA Ambulance, SAPOL and Dr Greg Wilkes,” it said.
It is unclear how the man became stuck in the mine, which the SES said had a shaft depth of 25 metres.
“Tonight Coober Pedy CFS responded with seven volunteers to assist our local Mine Rescue Squad with [a] person trapped down a mine shaft,” the Coober Pedy CFS brigade said in a Facebook post.
“It shows that in our remote opal mining town, that all services can team up together for a great outcome.”
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