Hiker Trapped In Alpine Crevasse For Six Days

A 70-year-old man claims he spent six days trapped in a 66ft hole in a glacier near Laengentaler Weisskogel peak, western Austria.

The man, who has not been named, was taken by helicopter to hospital in Innsbruck.

He was said to be suffering from hypothermia and exhaustion.

Other hikers are believed to have heard his shouts for help and were able to raise the alarm.

Officers said it was unclear whether he had spent almost a week trapped in the crevasse, but confirmed he had set out on his tour six days earlier.

The man had water, but no food on him when he was found.

A police spokesman said: "It is a sensation that he survived there for a week. He was very lucky."

In May, a Seattle man fell 40ft into a crevasse while walking near Whistler in Canada. Nikolai Popov said the snow beneath him collapsed and he attributed his survival to his hiking partner.

And in September last year a 67-year-old man survived for almost a week after his car plunged 200ft into a ravine in California. He was found by his children who tracked his movements.