How a firefighter on holiday carried out the 'miracle' rescue of woman who fell into volcano

John Conway was on holiday in Bali. Photo / John Conway, West Midlands Fire Service

A firefighter from the UK has been hailed a hero for his effort rescuing an injured woman from the crater of an active volcano in Bali.

John Conway, a West Midlands firefighter, co-ordinated the rescue of the woman after she fell 40m into the crater of the active volcano.

The 33-year-old was on holiday in Bali when he heard the woman had fallen from the viewing platform into the crater of Mount Batur.

"I explained I was a firefighter and trauma-trained, and I was directed down into the crater where there were about four or five other people already with the woman," he said.

"She was clearly in a very bad way. She was bleeding a lot and turning blue. I found out there was no air ambulance and the first aid supplies were really poor. All I had to use were some wet wipes, tissues and tape."

John Conway was on holiday in Bali. Photo / John Conway, West Midlands Fire Service

Conway had to keep pinching the woman's arm to keep her conscious and asked people around him to give him their shirts and coats so he could keep her warm.

Other hikers on the volcano then created a human chain to help bring the injured woman out of the crater.

After getting her out of the crater, Conway and the people forming the human chain then had to take turns in groups to carry the woman all the way down to the bottom of the volcano, where an ambulance awaited.

"We paused every 10 minutes so the nurse and I could speak to her and stop her losing consciousness." Once they reached the ambulance – an estate car with just a driver and no paramedics – they learned that the nearest hospital was two hours away."

Other hikers formed a human chain to help carry the woman out. Photo / John Conway, West Midlands Fire Service

They eventually made it to hospital.

The woman suffered several broken bones and fractured ribs, as well as a fractured spine, a serious head injury and a broken nose.

"Given the state in which we found her, and the extent of her injuries, it's a miracle she survived. It's unbelievable," Conway said.

"She's still in hospital, but she's managed to get thanks to me for what we were able to do. We'll be keeping in touch but the important thing for now is that she gets well and flies home as soon as she can," he added.