A man stuck in Brisbane’s drainage system apparently survived 36 hours in the subterranean environment, having gone underground to search for his phone.
Emergency services were called to the Kangaroo Point area on the Brisbane River about 11am on Monday.
A man in his mid-30s was in the drainage system, trapped under a bolted drain lid.
The Courier Mail reports a nearby resident heard “screaming” and went to investigate, leading to the discovery.
A worker from a nearby building said residents had heard the trapped man the day before but he said he was OK when asked.
A resident called emergency services the following day when they noticed the man still in the drain.
The Courier Mail also reports the trapped man told emergency services he spent 36 hours crawling, sometimes partially submerged and sometimes pushing through surges of stormwater and drinking drain water, before finding an opening and yelling for help.
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said the trapped man had some abrasions and was treated for exposure to the cold.
“He reported he was there for 36 hours and went to get his phone,” the spokesman said of the trapped man’s explanation to emergency services.
The Southern Downs man was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said firefighters removed the bolted drain lid and lifted the trapped man out.
The incident happened on Castlebar St, near Lambert St.