The man, a tourist from Lithuania, was paddling in Franklin River on Tasmania when his leg suddenly got stuck in a crevice in a particularly dangerous part of the river. He managed to alert the authorities, but the remote location and the rapid current complicated the rescue operation.
After 20 hours of futile attempts to free the man, who was lying in water from the waist down, he began to suffer from severe hypothermia and was getting worse. In consultation with the man, the decision was made to amputate his leg, right in the middle of the roaring river.
"This rescue operation was an extremely challenging and technical operation," says police spokesperson Doug Oosterloo in a statement.
"Everything was done to try to free the man before the difficult decision to amputate his leg was made."
After the amputation, the man was flown to a hospital in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, on Saturday. His condition remains critical, according to the police.
