A 20-year-old man is recovering in Katherine Hospital after falling almost 50 metres while hiking in Kakadu yesterday.

Emergency services were notified of an emergency beacon activation in the vicinity of Motorcar Falls just after 5pm. Rangers and police located a man trapped in a tree in a deep ravine. He was conscious but injured and members were able to communicate with him, however could not reach him.

NT Emergency Service Regional Manager North Mark Cunnington said the man was situated in extremely difficult terrain and the rescue was challenging.

“We deployed three staff and 13 volunteers from the Palmerston and Darwin units to undertake a vertical rescue, arriving around midnight with their specialist equipment.

“It took several hours and just after 4am the volunteers were able to successfully extract the victim and carried him to the Yurmikmik carpark to waiting Jabiru Clinic staff. He was then transferred by road to Katherine Hospital.

“This rescue shows how critical it is to carry safety equipment when you are out bush. Thanks to the coordinated efforts by police, Kakadu National Park Rangers, Jabiru Clinic and our dedicated NTES volunteers, we were able to bring this man to safety.”