A 60-year-old woman has been rescued after falling eight metres into a cave system in remote Western Australia, surviving a 12-hour ordeal that required a multi-agency response. The incident occurred on Friday evening at Empress Spring, near Lake Wells, approximately 1,400 kilometres north-east of Perth.
Emergency services, including police, paramedics, and fire crews, were called to David Carnegie Road around 5pm after reports of the fall. The woman's partner quickly lowered first aid supplies, water, and camp chairs into the cave to assist her overnight while waiting for specialist vertical rescue equipment to arrive.
The woman was freed safely at 5:35am on Saturday and taken to Laverton Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Laverton Police Officer in Charge Senior Sergeant Brendan Grogan praised the couple's preparedness, noting it made a significant difference in the challenging remote location.
Goldfields-Midlands DFES Acting Superintendent Murray McBride described the rescue as a 'tricky rescue' requiring specialised skills in a vertical context. The operation involved coordination between multiple agencies, including DFES, Laverton Police, St John WA, and health services.
WA Country Health Goldfields Executive Director Alicia Michalanney confirmed the patient was in stable condition after receiving immediate assessment and treatment at the hospital. A St John WA spokesperson highlighted the collaboration as an outstanding example of inter-agency teamwork.
