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Three siblings were airlifted to safety after falling down a bank near their Upper Hutt home yesterday afternoon.
Keith Frewen, spokesman for the Wellington-based Westpac Rescue Helicopter, said a 13-year-old boy used his cellphone to call for help after he and his two sisters, aged nine and 11, fell down the steep bank near their Totara Park home.
Police, fire and ambulance personnel could not find them so the rescue helicopter was called.
"Their location was pinpointed by the 13-year-old telling emergency services when the helicopter was directly above them but they remained unseen due to thick bush and trees over them," Mr Frewen said.
"When we could not actually see them from the air a police/ambulance search and rescue team walked in and located the missing children.
"The team that reached the kids treated their injuries and cleared an area so that the three of them could be winched into the helicopter."
All three sustained minor leg injuries but were otherwise unhurt. They were taken to the Avalon helipad before going on to Hutt Hospital by ambulance.
- NZPA
