‘Incredible’: Woman rescued from remote WA cave 12 hours after she fell down eight metre shaft

2 hours ago 1

A woman who fell eight metres into cave shaft in remote WA on Friday evening has been lifted to safety by a team of rescuers who worked through the night to create a vertical system that saw her brought to safety 12 hours after her ordeal began.

The 60-year-old had been walking in a remote part of the Goldfields-Esperance District, near Lake Wells, with her partner about 1200 kilometres north-east of Perth when she fell into a cave system and suffered injuries as a result.

A 60-year-old woman has been rescued after she fell down a cave in remote WA.

Her partner raised the alarm at about 5pm prompting a joint rescue effort by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Laverton Police, St John Ambulance, WA Country Health Service and the WA Department of Health.

The woman and her partner were located and provided immediate assistance but specialised vertical rescue equipment had to be brought to the area.

WA Police said the pair were well-prepared and the woman’s partner lowered equipment, including first aid supplies, water and camp chairs, into the cave to keep her comfortable overnight.

She was eventually rescued just after 5am on Saturday morning and taken to Laverton Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Rescuers worked through the night to free the woman.

Officer in Charge of Laverton Police, Senior Sergeant Brendan Grogan, said the rescue showed how emergency services working together could achieve incredible things.

“The conditions were challenging, with the rescue being in such a remote location, but the determination and professionalism of all crews ensured a positive outcome,” he said.

“This was teamwork at its best. Every agency played a vital role in bringing this woman to safety.

“It also reinforces the importance of being well-prepared, as the woman and her partner were, and serves as a reminder of how quickly a perfect day outdoors, can shift into a potentially life-threatening emergency.“

Rescuers used a vertical system to rescue the injured woman.

DFES Acting Superintendent Goldfields-Midlands, Murray McBride, said the incident necessitated a coordinated inter-agency response.

“Everyone responded quickly and worked well together,” he said.

“The logistics of reaching the site with the necessary specialised crew and equipment were challenging.

“It was then a tricky rescue which required a lot of skill in a specialised vertical rescue context with a potentially seriously injured patient who had fallen as many as eight metres and been isolated overnight.

“The crew was very relieved when they were able to successfully get the patient out and put her in the
hands of St John medical personnel.“

The woman is now in a stable condition.