First responders in Ottawa successfully rescued a construction worker who fell approximately three meters into a utility tunnel on Friday. The incident occurred in the 700 block of Heron Road in the city’s south end shortly before noon.

According to Ottawa Fire Services, the worker was in the process of removing temporary wooden barriers that were covering a trench in the tunnel's ceiling when he fell through. He landed on his back, which resulted in injuries that required immediate assistance.

Upon receiving the call from Ottawa police, specialized rope rescue teams from the fire service arrived at the scene. They assessed the situation and determined that the safest way to extricate the worker was to lift him back through the opening he had fallen through.

Rescue crews set up a twin-tension rope system and lowered a litter to the worker. With the help of members from the Ottawa Paramedic Service, the worker was carefully secured and “packaged” for safe extraction.

Once lifted from the trench, the worker was transferred to the care of paramedics for medical evaluation. As of now, there has been no update on his medical condition.