On Aug. 8, a man in his 20s fell about 65 feet while climbing Mount Beerwah and became stranded roughly 330 feet below the summit of the 1,824-foot peak. Rescue crews used drones to locate him, then climbed a vertical rock face to deliver food, water and first aid. Darkness made helicopter extraction unsafe, so teams stayed with him overnight and airlifted him the next morning; he arrived at hospital in stable condition.
Dramatic Overnight Rescue: Hiker Saved After Spending Night on Mount Beerwah Cliff
First responders stayed with the injured hiker overnight before the helicopter rescue on Sunday, Aug 9.Credit: Queensland Fire Department/Instagram
An overnight cliff rescue ended with a man in his 20s flown to hospital in stable condition after he was stranded high on Mount Beerwah in Queensland's Glass House Mountains.
The incident began on the afternoon of Aug. 8, when the hiker fell about 65 feet while climbing and injured his ankle. He was left unable to descend and called for help. Rescue crews using drones located him roughly 330 feet from the summit of the 1,824-foot peak in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
Firefighters then descended a near-vertical rock face to reach the injured climber and provided water, food and first aid. "We were tied in to the rope, three of us on the side of the mountain," firefighter Ben Walker told 9 News, describing the precarious position. Colleague Matt Ginns said the man had been well prepared with water, a charged phone and warm clothing.
Mount Beerwah in the Glass House Mountains National Park in Queensland, Australia.Credit: Getty
Search teams did not reach the hiker until about 2 a.m., by which time darkness made helicopter extraction unsafe. Battling cold and dangerous conditions, the crew remained with the injured man on the cliff through the night. Walker said it was the first time he had "bunkered down" on a mountain like that.
The following morning at about 9:30 a.m., rescuers transferred the hiker to a waiting helicopter and he was flown to a nearby hospital in stable condition. The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service described the operation as challenging; the agency did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment.
Location: Mount Beerwah, Glass House Mountains, Queensland.
Date & Time: Aug. 8; fall occurred ~4:30 p.m., hiker located ~2:00 a.m., airlift ~9:30 a.m. the next morning.
Outcome: Hiker transported to hospital in stable condition after overnight cliffside rescue.
Rescuers emphasized the difficulty of working on a vertical rock face in the dark and urged climbers to prepare carefully for remote hikes.
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