Three people are swallowed by a huge sinkhole while watching floodwaters rage – and they were only saved thanks to an extraordinary stroke of luck
- Three people are lucky to be alive after falling into a sinkhole in Moree, NSW
- Trio saved after a group of firefighters heard their cries for help on Wednesday
- Crew Leader Jason Anderson said they were lucky to escape without injuries
Three people are lucky to be alive after they became trapped in a large sinkhole as they watched raging floodwaters in northern New South Wales.
Firefighters were walking back to their truck from Moore Hospital at around 11.57pm on Wednesday when they heard cries for help coming from a nearby river bank.
They discovered three people stuck inside a sinkhole next to Mehi River and immediately used flood rescue gear to pull them to safety.
Three people are lucky to be alive after they became trapped in a large sinkhole near the Mehi River in Moore
Firefighters were walking back to their truck from Moore Hospital heard cries for help coming from the large sinkhole (pictured)
One man climbed out from the sinkhole, but firefighters safely rescued the other man and woman.
Narrabri Crew Leader Jason Anderson said the group were lucky to escape with their lives and without any injuries.
‘People should not venture into or near swollen rivers or floodwater’ he said in a statement.
‘This is an example of how conditions during floods can change rapidly’.
The warning comes after Pakistani national Ayaz Younas died after becoming trapped in the flood on Cattai Ridge Road in Glenorie on Sydney’s northern outskirts.
The inside of the 25-year-old’s Toyota Camry was badly damaged, indicating to police that he frantically battled to save his life and escape as waters rose around him.
Narrabri Crew Leader Jason Anderson said the group were lucky to escape with their lives and without any injuries as flooding continues throughout northern New South Wales
Det Insp Laird said Mr Younas ‘clearly couldn’t get out’ of the car as there were no broken windows.
‘You can only just imagine somebody fighting for their life to get out of the car — that’s what the inside damage of the vehicle looked like.’
Emergency Services Minister David Elliott offered his condolences, saying it would send ripples through the northwest Sydney community.
‘The human cost of these floods has been brought into sharp focus in the most tragic of circumstances and I urge communities to continue to be cautious in the face of continued and imminent threats to life,’ Mr Elliott said.
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