Man rescued after being trapped for hours under 600-pound boulder in icy river

“I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get out of here,” Morris said in an interview with a local media outlet last Wednesday.

Rock avalanche

During their hike, Morris climbed a slope to get a better view when the ground beneath him suddenly gave way. "It was a big rockfall, and I was standing on top of it," he said.

Morris slid down and when he came to a stop, he was face down in an icy glacial stream, pinned by a boulder above him. Morris was pinned down.

His wife tried in vain to get the boulder off him, but it wouldn't budge. Morris was still conscious, but could barely keep his face above water. "I thought, I'm not going to last long in this water," Morris said of the water that felt just above freezing.

No coverage

There was also no phone reception at the spot where Morris got stuck. Jo, who had been keeping Morris' face above water, was forced to leave her husband behind for a while while she looked for reception to call the emergency services.

Miraculously, Jo found her within 300 metres and managed to call the emergency services. By the time they reached them, the water in the creek had risen further and Jo was just barely able to keep Morris' face above water.

Firefighters eventually managed to move the rock using a combination of airbags, ropes and brute force, saving Morris, who was becoming increasingly hypothermic.

Morris ultimately escaped without any broken bones or serious injuries.