Tourist trapped 20 hours in Australian river has leg amputated

This handout picture courtesy of the Tasmania Police taken on November 23, 2024 and received on November 24, 2024 shows a rescue operation on the Franklin River where rescue teams amputated a kayaker’s leg after it was trapped in a rocky crevice on a dangerous stretch of the Australian river. Agence France-Presse

SYDNEY — Rescue teams amputated a kayaker’s leg at the weekend after it was trapped in a rocky crevice on a dangerous stretch of Australian river, police said.

The foreign tourist, aged in his 60s, was navigating rapids in Tasmania’s Franklin River with a group of friends on Friday when his leg became “wedged between rocks”, police said.

The man’s smart watch alerted emergency services, sparking a “complex and protracted” rescue mission that failed to free the limb after 20 hours.

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Still partially submerged in cold water, and with his condition deteriorating, the visitor was sedated and his leg was amputated on Saturday.

“This rescue was an extremely challenging and technical operation, and an incredible effort over many hours to save the man’s life,” said police spokesman Doug Oosterloo.

“Every effort was made to extract the man before the difficult decision to amputate his leg.”

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The man was then flown to Royal Hobart Hospital, where police said he remained in a critical condition.