Rescuer needs rescuing after fall into deep hole while helping kangaroo
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
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Outcome reported
- A man fell about three meters into an abandoned well while walking with his wife on Raymond Island, Australia.
- He landed in water and was unable to climb out, prompting his wife to call for help from the tight-knit community and emergency services.
- Firefighters and other emergency crews worked in difficult conditions to rescue the man from the unstable hole.
A casual walk on Raymond Island, known for its wildlife, turned into a dramatic rescue mission when Bruce Miller suddenly fell into a hidden, abandoned well. Miller described the terrifying experience of plummeting into darkness, landing in water, and feeling helpless as the sky disappeared above him. "You've got this feeling of helplessness," he recounted. "And then as you watch the sky disappear and the walls grow taller, you're thinking, when's this going to end?"
As I was walking down the trail, I just fell through the earth.
His wife, Elizabeth, who was walking just behind him, initially couldn't comprehend his disappearance. "He just disappeared on me and I'm like, 'Where are you?' and he's like, 'Don't panic, I'm down here,'" she said. Her immediate fear was the unstable ground collapsing on her husband or him falling further into the deep hole.
You've got this feeling of helplessness.
The couple, experienced wildlife rescuers themselves, quickly shifted from shock to action. Elizabeth threw down a strap for her husband to hold onto and immediately contacted friends in their close-knit community for assistance. "My job really was to coordinate all the emergency services that came along," she explained, while also reassuring her husband that help was on the way.
And then as you watch the sky disappear and the walls grow taller, you're thinking, when's this going to end? And then luckily for me, it ended in a splash.
Emergency services, including the Country Fire Authority, Fire Rescue Victoria, and Ambulance Victoria, arrived by boat due to the island's limited access. Crews faced challenging conditions due to the unstable ground surrounding the well, which was believed to be many years old. Despite the unfolding emergency, both Bruce and Elizabeth Miller focused on staying calm, a strategy that aided the multi-agency rescue effort.
I went underwater … I don't think I touched the ground, but I did resurface. [But] what's in this hole with me? How far down am I?
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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