Rescuers amputated the leg of a kayaker on Saturday after it got stuck in a rock crevice on a dangerous stretch of a river in Tasmania, Australian police said.
The tourist, a sixty-year-old foreign national, was sailing with friends on the rapids of the Franklin River in Tasmania on Friday when his leg became “stuck between rocks”, according to police.
His connected watch alerted the emergency services, triggering a “complex and very long” rescue mission which, however, did not free his leg.
Still partially submerged in the cold water, the kayaker, whose health was deteriorating, was sedated and his leg was amputated on Saturday.
“This rescue was an extremely difficult and technical operation, and represented an incredible effort over many hours to save this man’s life,” said Doug Oosterloo, a police spokesman.
The kayaker was taken to Royal Hobart Hospital in Tasmania, where police said he remained in a critical condition.
