Australian man trapped for hours in dam with just nose above water

Daniel Miller was stuck for hours with just his nose above water
Nine News
Saphora Smith9 February 2017

Extraordinary images show an Australian man being rescued after spending hours trying to keep his nose above water after his digger tipped into a dam.

Daniel Miller, 45, had been maneuvering the excavator at his property 180 miles north of Sydney when the edge of the dam gave way.

Mr Miller said he was trapped in the boggy water, pinned down by a bar on the three-tonne digger.

Images showed him with the top of his head poking out of the dirty water, a pose he had to assume for several hours.

Daniel Miller trapped by the digger 
Saimaa Miller/Facebook

He told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph that he adopted a yoga position to keep his mouth and nose above the surface until a neighbour heard him shouting.

He told the paper: “I was trapped and had to keep my head up above water using my arms, I guess it was the cobra position.

Firefighters try and pull Daniel Miller from the bog 
Saimaa Miller/Facebook

"I'm not a yogi but I guess you could say yoga saved my life. That and the will to live."

His wife Saimaa posted on Facebook that he was trapped for five hours.

Daniel Miller is lifted free from the water 
Saimaa Miller/Facebook

Emergency services were called and firefighters drained the mud and water before wading in to free Mr Miller.

Pictures show several firefighters knee-deep in the water attempting to free Mr Miller.

Daniel Miller safe on dry land
Saimaa Miller/Facebook

The group manage to lift the mud-covered man onto a stretcher and onto dry land.

According to local media the 45-year-old farmer was then airlifted to a hospital in the nearby city of Newcastle where he was treated for hypothermia and minor back injuries.

Police chief inspector Neil Stephens told Nine News Mr Miller was “extremely lucky to survive.”

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