Man rescued after falling down 30m mine shaft in Coober Pedy, South Australia
A man is lucky to be alive after falling down a 30m opal mine shaft in the iconic South Australian outback town of Coober Pedy.
Seven CFS volunteers and the Coober Pedy Mine Rescue squad took three hours to pull the man out of the mine on Saturday night.
Ambulance crews, police and an on-call doctor also pitched in with the rescue effort.
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“It shows that in our remote Opal mining-town, that all services can team up together for a great outcome,” the Coober Pedy CFS brigade posted on Facebook.
The man was taken to the Coober Pedy Hospital before being airlifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
He remains in a stable condition according to SA Health.
Coober Pedy’s opal fields are riddled with abandoned prospecting drill holes, posing a serious threat to unsuspecting wanderers.
The Coober Pedy Retail, Business and Tourism Association estimates more than 1.5 million open shafts dot the area.
A 22-year-old man was rescued in 2018 after falling 6m down a shaft while scouring for opals.
In 2006, a 50-year-old woman died after falling down a 30m open shaft in the Dead Man’s Gully opal field about 10km north of Coober Pedy.
