Shock twist as it’s revealed man trapped in a Brisbane drain for 36 hours REFUSED to be helped a day before he was finally rescued
A man trapped underground for 36 hours after falling into a storm drain refused help a day before he was rescued.
The 34-year-old Southern Downs man spent 36 hours lost in the downtown drainage network of Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, this weekend while trying to retrieve his phone.
He was eventually rescued when local resident James Lingwood heard heavy breathing around 11am on Monday and called emergency services.
The fire brigade on site cut the drain and brought the man to safety.
Mr Lingwood explained that he heard the man ‘kind of half shouting’ on the phone as he jogged along the storm drain on Sunday.
A 34-year-old man has been rescued from a storm drain in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, after being trapped in the underground network for 36 hours
The concerned neighbor offered to help the man get out of the drain, but he refused and insisted he could find his way out.
“He looks up and says, ‘Hey man.’ I said, “Are you okay? Can I help you?” He said, ‘No, man, I’m fine,’ but he’s up to his knees in water and I’m thinking, ‘What do I do?’ Mr Lingwood told the Courier mail.
“But he seemed to be doing fine and he said he could get out where he came in, so I just left him alone.
‘I wanted to help him when I first saw him, but he didn’t want my help. I don’t think he thought he was in any great danger at the time.’
Mr Lingwood decided to call triple-0 on Monday after hearing heavy breathing as if ‘someone was in distress’.
The man told emergency responders he drank rainwater to survive and spent most of his time in the drain, crawling around on his hands and knees.
The man was taken to the Mater Hospital (pictured) where he was treated for hypothermia and several cuts and abrasions
He told rescuers he spent most of the 36-hour ordeal partially submerged, wading through waves of stormwater as he searched for an escape.
He was rushed to the Mater Hospital in the south of the city, where he was treated for hypothermia and several cuts and abrasions.
When the man finally found an opening, he shouted for help, which attracted the attention of a local resident and an employee in a nearby building.
The employee said the man was “walking all over the place down there” and wasn’t sure if he was lying down or if he could get up when he was rescued.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Police for comment.