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A 59-year-old Taumarunui man will have surgery on his hands after they became trapped in a logging machine at a mill near the National Park yesterday.
Prince Ripo was in a stable, comfortable condition in Waikato Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said.
It was not yet known what form of surgery he would require.
"Mr Ripo has movement in both hands, but the full extent of tendon and muscle damage cannot be determined until he is in theatre," she said.
One of Mr Ripo's hands was caught when he tried to remove a branch from a conveyor belt, she said.
"When he tried to remove himself, both his hands were drawn in and damaged by the drum that drives the belt."
He was flown to hospital by the Westpac Waikato Air Ambulance.
- NZPA
