Rescuers have reached a middle-aged man who fell down a mine shaft in Cornwall but now face a race against time to get him out as he battles against hypothermia.
A paramedic and a firefighter were lowered on ropes to the injured man and were giving him first aid, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said.
Rescuers took three hours to reach the man, aged in his mid-50s, and are trying to extract him from the disused mine shaft at Port Nanven, on the coastal path near St Just.
The Coastguard said the initial call for help was made shortly after midday on Sunday.
Devon and Cornwall Police had requested the Coastguard’s assistance at about 1.15pm after receiving a 999 call from a member of the public who said a person had fallen and was injured.
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said the man who had fallen down the shaft was believed to be aged in his 50s and is suspected to have sustained a hip injury in the fall. He was also believed to be suffering from hypothermia.
A large crew had been working using ropes to try to reach him in a rescue which the Coastguard described as “complex”.
The area where he fell is known for its mining history. The National Trust website says the St Just coastal path walk is located within a world heritage mining site.
Describing the walk, it says one mine shaft is located down a hillside and is marked by a sign-post that reads “mine shaft, danger of death”.
Emergency services initially described the shaft as 15 metres deep but the Coastguard later said the man is believed to have fallen 30 metres.
Lands End and Penzance Coastguard rescue teams and the UK Coastguard helicopter were sent to the scene, along with the South Western Ambulance and Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.