<!–
<!–
<!– <!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
A man who was trapped underground for 36 hours after falling down a storm drain refused help a day before being rescued.
The 34-year-old Southern Downs man spent 36 hours lost in the inner-city drainage network of Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, while trying to recover his phone over the weekend.
He was finally rescued when local resident James Lingwood heard heavy breathing at around 11am on Monday and called emergency services.
Firefighters at the scene were able to cut the drain and remove the man to safety.
Lingwood explained that she had heard the man “sort of screaming” into the phone as he ran along the storm drain on Sunday.
A 34-year-old man has been rescued from a storm sewer in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, after spending 36 hours trapped in the underground network
The concerned neighbor offered to help the man out of the drain, but he refused and insisted he could find his way out.
‘He looks up and says, “Hey, man.” I said, “Are you okay? Can I help you?” He said, “No, brother, I’m fine,” but he’s knee-deep in the water and I’m thinking, what do I do? Mr. Lingwood said to the Mail.
“But he seemed fine and said he could get out the way he came in, so I left him alone.”
‘I wanted to help him when I first saw him, but he didn’t want my help. I don’t think he thought he was in any great danger at the time.
Lingwood decided to call triple-0 on Monday after hearing heavy breathing, as if “someone was in danger.”
The man told emergency services he drank rainwater to survive and spent most of his time in the drain crawling on his hands and knees.
The man was taken to Mater Hospital (pictured) where he was treated for hypothermia and some cuts and abrasions.
He told rescuers he spent most of the 36-hour ordeal partially submerged in water and had to wade through waves of storm water as he searched for an escape.
He was rushed to Mater Hospital in the south of the city, where he was treated for hypothermia and some cuts and abrasions.
When the man finally found an opening, he shouted for help, attracting the attention of a local resident and an employee of a nearby building.
The employee said the man had been “running everywhere down there” and wasn’t sure if he was lying down or able to get up when he was rescued.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Police for comment.