After 20 hours of fighting for survival, trapped kayaker makes drastic decision!

Hobart - At the end of a rescue operation lasting several hours, a kayaker had to sacrifice one of his legs in order to survive.

On Friday afternoon, a group of kayakers were out on the Franklin River on the Australian island of Tasmania when one member got one of his legs stuck between rocks in the rapids, as the local police announced on Facebook on Saturday.

A number of emergency services and specialists then tried to free the 60-year-old tourist from his predicament - without success.

When a final attempt on Saturday morning was also unsuccessful and the man's condition continued to deteriorate, the trapped kayaker agreed to the drastic measure of amputating his stuck leg after a good 20 hours in the crevice. With success.

With one leg less and still in a critical condition, the tourist was flown to the hospital in the island's capital Hobart, where he has been receiving treatment ever since.

A police spokesman said afterwards: "This rescue was an extremely demanding and technical operation and an incredible effort over many hours to save the man's life."