Boy fell into well

Boy (4) fell into well: Pipes broke the fall

Concentrated Floriani power to save the boy.(Bild: FF Maissau)

With joint forces and by hand, the Florianis pulled the four-year-old out of the well, who fell seven meters into a shaft on Holy Saturday. The boy must have been extremely lucky: He remained virtually unharmed and has already left the hospital. 

Shocking moment on Holy Saturday in Unterdürnbach in the municipality of Maissau, district of Hollabrunn. A four-year-old fell into a seven-meter deep shaft while playing with other children. The children are believed to have removed the cover and the boy is said to have fallen through a 30-centimeter opening while running around. According to the police, the well is no longer in use and is dry.

The emergency services were on the scene immediately. "Rescue using a ladder was not possible, so we used a crane arm," says head of operations Klemens Kaltenbrunner, describing how a fellow firefighter was roped down by hand. Using a sling, the Floriani was able to rescue the four-year-old from the well.

The toddler fell seven meters into the depths.(Bild: FF Maissau)

The rescue helicopter took the boy to hospital. Despite the great drop of seven meters, he only suffered minor injuries such as abrasions - he was able to leave the hospital on Sunday. The police are now investigating whether the duty of supervision was breached.

Pipes may have slowed the fall
Emergency services on site explained the "small miracle" by saying that the pipes in the fountain, which protruded after a fall of three meters, slowed the little boy's fall and that he then landed on relatively soft ground after the next four meters.

Criticism due to high number of helpers
The online question as to why 50 firefighters were deployed caused some disgruntlement. "We are volunteers and have no duty roster. You also never know exactly what to expect and are happy about every member. It doesn't cost anyone anything either," says an experienced firefighter.