A woman fell into a pit toilet at Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve in the Australian outback, according to a spokesperson for NT WorkSafe. She was trapped waist-deep in human waste for approximately three hours before being rescued by a local tradesman who happened to be passing by. The woman, who was traveling with her family from Canberra to Darwin, fell into the pit toilet at the remote reserve.
She was trapped for about three hours before a local tradesman happened to pass by and heard her cries for help. The rescue involved dismantling the toilet structure and using a tow rope attached to the tradesman's car to winch the woman out. She suffered minor cuts and was taken to Alice Springs Hospital for assessment.
The toilet has been cordoned off, and NT WorkSafe has launched an investigation. A spokesperson for NT WorkSafe said the notification was made by the agency with management of the conservation zone, as a collapse or partial collapse of a structure, which is a dangerous incident under work health and safety laws. In a separate incident, a woman in Plymouth, England, fell up to 20 feet down an uncovered drain, according to the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.
The drain grating is believed to have been removed. The fire service rescued the woman using a tripod and harness. A spokesperson said they set up a tripod and winched her up in a harness in a safe and controlled manner as they didn't know the extent of her injuries at that time.
The woman had no obvious signs of injury but was taken to hospital as a precaution. The cause of the missing grating is under investigation.