Australian miner, trapped under tractor, amputates own arm

SYDNEY, Australia -- An Australian miner amputated his own arm with a knife after becoming pinned under a tractor, police said Sunday.

Colin Jones severed his arm below the elbow with a short-bladed craft knife, New South Wales state police said in a statement.

The case evoked memories of American climber Aron Ralston, who earlier this year hacked off his arm after getting trapped under a boulder in a remote Utah canyon.

The 43-year-old miner became trapped late Saturday night 1.5 miles underground in a coal mine near Lake Macquarie, just south of Newcastle on Australia's east coast.

Police said his tractor, which was carrying 3.4 tons of limestone dust, was believed to have tipped over after hitting a hole on a sharp bend in a mine shaft.

Another worker discovered the injured miner and sounded an alarm, but Jones didn't want to wait for rescue crews, police said. It was not immediately clear how long Jones was trapped.

He was listed in stable condition at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, about 95 miles north of Sydney.

Doctors had hoped to reattach his arm but were unsuccessful "because of the extent of the crush injuries," said Les Yates of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.