In the small German town of Pirna, rescuers freed a toddler (2) in sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice. Valentin fell into a pipe while playing on Thursday around 4 p.m. and slid about three meters down.
As “Bild” reported online on Friday, the mother then called for help via her mobile phone. Fire brigade, police and rescue service then arrived with a large contingent. However, they discovered that the shaft was so narrow that no adult could enter it or approach the boy with its head. It was therefore decided to warn two construction companies, which arrived with two large excavators.
Trees had to be cut down
They cut down trees to make room for little Valentine to dig up. The rescuers used a side approach which allowed them to grab the toddler’s legs. To get there, they dug about four meters deep. According to the report, Valentin was then pulled up with a rope.
Here is a photo of the operation.
Parents reassured son
The parents calmed their son during the two and a half hour rescue operation. They talked to him at the end of the pipe. A protective tent was also set up as it was below 0 degrees Celsius and there was snow. The emergency services sent warm air into the shaft.
The child was rescued at 6.37pm and was taken to the neighboring Helios clinic with hypothermia and minor injuries. The Saxony police confiscated the manhole cover, which had a diameter of 30 centimeters. “According to the current state of the investigation, the cover was unscrewed on the rain drainage shaft. The boy went in and the lid collapsed,” a police spokesperson said.
According to neighbors, the narrow tube is usually closed with a plastic lid. “We were very happy that we had taken the child with us (…). A very important part of the success were the two local construction companies, who were immediately on site with their excavators,” says operations manager Peter Kammel.
The small town of Pirna is located east of Dresden in Saxon Switzerland.
Source: Krone
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