TAS: Four teenagers rescued from flooded stormwater drain

AAP General News (Australia)
04-25-2009
TAS: Four teenagers rescued from flooded stormwater drain

Four teenagers trapped in a Hobart storm water drain amid rising flood waters have
been pulled to safety in a dramatic rescue.

Firefighters were called to a storm water drain behind a Pizza Hut restaurant in New
Town just after 5pm (AEST)today .. where the teenagers .. aged between 13 and 16 .. were
trapped.

STEVE WALKLEY from the Tasmanian Fire Service says the children were trapped under
a heavy stell grate .. unable to get out of the drain the way they got in .. due to the
large amounts of rain water flowing in.

He says the situation became so dire that firefighters were forced to manually remove
a steel fence and lift the grate enough to allow one member to climb into the flood waters.

Mr WALKLEY says had just another few minutes passed they would have been swept away.

Three of the teenagers have been taken to hospital.

AAP RTV md/sw

KEYWORD: DRAIN (HOBART)

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