Person rescued from sewage pit in Kittilä after neighbour’s quick thinking

A person who fell into a deep sewage pit in Kittilä, northern Finland, was rescued after a neighbour heard calls for help and used a dog leash to keep the victim’s head above water, reports public broadcaster Yle.

The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon. The neighbour, alerted by shouts, arrived with a dog and managed to loop the leash around the trapped person’s wrist, preventing them from submerging until emergency services arrived.

Rescue services described the neighbour’s actions as crucial. “The person was in life-threatening danger, and the helper’s strength was running out,” said duty fire chief Pekka Siivola of the Lapland Rescue Department.

The victim, who had spent over ten minutes in the pit, was lifted to safety with specialised equipment. Emergency medical teams assessed their condition at the scene.

Responders from Kittilä, the ASLAK rescue helicopter, and Lapland’s high-angle rescue team were deployed to the incident.