In brief
Matilda Campbell endured a seven-hour ordeal after slipping into a three-metre deep crevice while trying to grab her mobile phone during a hike in New South Wales. Emergency services skillfully managed to winch large boulders aside and ultimately freed her with only minor injuries.
A young woman’s hike in New South Wales’s picturesque Hunter Valley took a perilous twist when she became trapped upside down between two large boulders. Identified in reports as Matilda Campbell, she fell into a three-metre crevice while attempting to retrieve her mobile phone earlier this month. What began as a simple hiking trip turned into a seven-hour rescue operation, characterized by the precarious positioning of the woman and the boulders surrounding her. According to Peter Watts, a paramedic with New South Wales Ambulance, the operation was “challenging but incredibly rewarding,” while noting, “In my 10 years as a rescue paramedic, I had never encountered a job quite like this.” Initial rescue attempts by Ms. Campbell's friends failed, and by the time emergency services arrived, she had already been trapped for over an hour. Photos from the ambulance service captured the gravity of the situation, displaying Campbell hanging awkwardly as rescuers worked diligently to stabilize the area and create a safe opening for her escape. Utilizing a winch, paramedics successfully maneuvered a hefty 500kg (1,100lb) rock, but the task of negotiating her position remained complex due to the shape of the crevice, described as an “S” bend. Paramedic Watts later reflected on the extraordinary challenge they faced: “We were all like, how did you get down there - and how are we going to get her out?” Remarkably, after her arduous ordeal, Matilda Campbell was rescued with just minor scratches and bruises, though her mobile phone remained elusive. In a heartfelt message, she expressed gratitude towards her rescuers, saying, “Thank you to the team who saved me you guys are literally life savers. Too bad about the phone tho.” This remarkable incident showcases both the unpredictability of the great outdoors and the dedicated efforts of emergency services to protect the community.
