Kayaker’s leg amputated at Tasmania river after 20-hour rescue to free him from rocks

A man’s leg was amputated and he is fighting for his life after he was trapped between rocks of a raging river during a kayaking trip in Tasmania.

Officials said the man, an international tourist in his 60s, was kayaking with friends in the Franklin River when he slipped and became trapped between rocks in the river rapids on Friday afternoon.

Doug Oosterloo, the acting assistant police commissioner for Tasmania police, said the man’s smartwatch made a call for assistance about an hour after getting stuck and it triggered a massive emergency response.

“Several attempts were made to extract the man yesterday evening and overnight but were not successful,” police said in a statement. “The man was made as comfortable as possible as he remained partly submerged in the river.”

A medical team stayed with the man throughout the night. After they determined his condition was deteriorating, the decision was made to amputate his leg to facilitate his rescue. 

“This rescue was an extremely challenging and technical operation and an incredible effort over many hours to save the man’s life,” Oosterloo said. “Every effort was made to extract the man before the difficult decision to amputate his leg.”

The man was taken to the hospital in critical condition, police said.

Oosterloo told the Australian Associated Press that the other 10 travelers who were with the man had stopped kayaking and were on the shore when the man slipped.

“He was scouting the area and he slipped and fell into the rock crevice,” he said, according to CBS News partner BBC.