Sydney: On Tuesday, Australian emergency personnel said that they had successfully freed a guy who had been trapped in a Brisbane storm drain for 36 hours, ostensibly in an attempt to recover a fallen cell phone.
The man, who is in his 30s, is said to have spent the weekend in the filthy underground of the tropical city.
He was made to drink sewer water on Sunday after turning down a bystander’s first offer of assistance while searching for a way out.
At approximately 11 a.m. on Monday, a resident heard heavy breathing coming from the drain. This led emergency personnel to finally be called to the location.
When the firefighters arrived, according to Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, they were able to remove the drain’s lid and save the man. He was taken to Mater Hospital with complaints of cuts and exposure to the cold.
According to emergency services, his health is stable. Days of rainy weather have plagued Brisbane, and as the man was locked indoors, the rain fell down the drain.
While out for a run, James Lingwood, a passerby, told the local media that he had already seen the stranded man on Sunday and had heard shouts coming from the sewer. “I asked him if I could help, and he replied, ‘No, bro, I’m fine.’ However, he was knee deep in water, so I wasn’t sure what to do,” Lingwood told the Courier Mail. I just left him alone as he appeared to be alright and indicated he may go from where he entered.
When I first saw him, I wanted to aid him, but he wasn’t interested in my assistance. Lingwood continued, “I don’t think he felt he was in any great danger at the time.”
“It’s rare to see someone down the drain, particularly in an environment where rats, snakes, mosquitoes, and other pests are present,” he remarked. If the man got his phone back, it wasn’t immediately apparent.
