Saved by root, woman dangles on cliff face

GRENOBLE, July 17, 2006 (AFP) – A 45-year-old French woman dangled upside-down for two-and-a-half hours over a cliff-face in the Alps after being saved from falling by a small root, emergency workers said Monday.

Mountain rescuers used a helicopter to land near the woman, whose foot was caught in the four-centimetre (less than two-inch) root after she slipped during a hike in the Bauges range on Sunday afternoon.

“We couldn’t bring the helicopter up against the rock-face, and we were also afraid the draught from the blades would blow her loose. But finally we managed to get straps around her,” police rescue squad chief Captain Pierre Pelceneur said.

The woman was being treated in hospital Monday, suffering from shock but no serious injuries.

Subject: French News