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Woman was stuck upside down between rocks for seven hours after trying to retrieve her phone

    A woman trying to retrieve her lost phone from between boulders in Australia's Hunter Valley became stuck upside down for seven hours before being rescued earlier this month.

    Only the woman's bare soles can be seen in photos of the incident posted on social media by the New South Wales (NSW) Ambulance Service on Monday.

    The woman was walking with friends on a private property in Laguna, a rural town in the Hunter Valley about 120 kilometers from Sydney, when she dropped her phone.

    Somehow, when she tried to retrieve it, she slid face first into a ten-foot crevasse between two large boulders.

    The 23-year-old was walking with friends when she dropped her phone between the rocks. - NSW AmbulanceThe 23-year-old was walking with friends when she dropped her phone between the rocks. - NSW Ambulance

    The 23-year-old was walking with friends when she dropped her phone between the rocks. – NSW Ambulance

    Her friends tried to free her for an hour, according to the NSW Ambulance Service, but eventually gave up and called for help.

    NSW Police said emergency services were called at 9.30am on October 12 about a 23-year-old woman who had become trapped while trying to retrieve a mobile phone.

    Over the next seven hours, police, ambulance, fire brigade and volunteer rescue crews tried to free her, police said in a statement.

    Several heavy boulders were removed to create a safe entry point, after which rescuers built a frame to carry out a very delicate operation, she added.

    Rescuers had to remove several large boulders to get close enough to her feet to pull her out. - NSW AmbulanceRescuers had to remove several large boulders to get close enough to her feet to pull her out. - NSW Ambulance

    Rescuers had to remove several large boulders to get close enough to her feet to pull her out. – NSW Ambulance

    “With both feet accessible, the team was faced with the challenge of getting the patient out through a tight S-bend in an hour,” NSW Ambulance shared in a post on Facebook.

    A winch was used to move a 500-kilogram boulder to free the woman, and she was eventually released the same day around 4:30 p.m.

    Miraculously, she escaped with only minor scratches and bruises.

    NSW Ambulance rescue paramedic Peter Watts said he had never seen anything like it.

    Several emergency teams from the police, fire brigade and ambulance services were involved in the rescue operation. - NSW AmbulanceSeveral emergency teams from the police, fire brigade and ambulance services were involved in the rescue operation. - NSW Ambulance

    Several emergency teams from the police, fire brigade and ambulance services were involved in the rescue operation. – NSW Ambulance

    “In my ten years as a rescue paramedic, I had never come across a job like this. It was challenging but incredibly rewarding,” said Watts. “Every agency had a role and we all worked incredibly well together to achieve a good patient outcome.”

    The woman, whose name has not been made public, was taken to hospital for observation. However, her phone remains trapped between the rocks.

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