Bankstown: teen rescued from storm sewer

A teenager who fell into a storm drain after trying to retrieve a ball has been rescued.

Emergency services arrived on Chapel Road in Bankstown, southwest Sydney, around 10:55 a.m. Tuesday to find the teenager trapped.

The boy was playing with friends nearby when their ball went down the drain.

NSW Ambulance Inspector Craig Watkins said the boy “slipped and fell” into the sewers while trying to retrieve the ball.

“He couldn’t get out,” said Mr. Watkins.

A rescue operation was immediately launched by paramedics and New South Wales fire and rescue officers as the teenager suffered a broken arm.

Officers contacted the boy and mended his broken arm before safely extracting him.

The teen was taken to Bankstown Lidcombe Hospital in a stable condition.

“This is an embarrassing incident for the patient, but it had a positive outcome given the danger that stormwater can pose,” Mr. Watkins said.

Originally published as Teenager rescued from storm sewer