A 64-year-old man was rescued after spending more than 10 hours trapped in his tractor during a flood in Wales.
David Jones was his way to a quarry near Llandrinio, close to the border with England and 151 miles from London, to collect stone at around 7:30 a.m. Feb. 22 after the Severn River had burst its banks in the aftermath of two powerful storms.
“I was going through the water, and it started getting deeper and deeper, so I had to stop or the water could have damaged the engine,” Jones said.
He said the battery on his mobile phone needed recharging, so he felt he just had to wait for someone to come looking for him.
“I didn’t turn the radio on because I was worried about the electrics. I had my lunch with me so I was okay for food,” he said.
When colleagues became concerned he hadn’t returned to the yard, they reported him missing to Dyfed-Powys Police at about 3:40 p.m. “This led to emergency services springing to action with partnership working between police, NPAS and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, finding him marooned in his tractor,” the police said in a statement.
They tracked a social media post of flooding that appeared to show a tractor with a trailer in the distance, surrounded by floodwater.
“Officers then used what3words — a website that pinpoints locations — to guide the NPAS helicopter to Mr. Jones,” the police statement said.
“The tractor and trailer were located from photos and from a whats3words location,” Dyfed-Powys Inspector Darren Brown said.
“There had been no contact throughout the day, so we didn’t know if he was safe. We called in NPAS to get as close to [the] tractor as possible to look inside. They saw a reflective jacket and movement, so confirmed somebody was inside.”
The fire department was then called to take Jones to safety.
“Everyone did an excellent job to find me. It was a big relief to see the helicopter,” Jones said.
“Our crews worked tirelessly over the weekend and into the early part of this week in responding to the regional flooding brought about by Storm Eunice and Storm Franklin,” Andrew Richards, the West Wales Fire and Rescue Service Station manager, said.
“Thanks to the support of the police helicopter that located the tractor within the floodwater, our Swift Water Rescue Team we were then able to deploy and access the vehicle and rescue the gentleman using a boat.”
Edited by Richard Pretorius and Kristen Butler
