The so-called “Spiderman” team of the Montreal Fire Department (SIM) was on Mount Royal early Wednesday morning rescuing a man who fell about 10 metres into a ravine.
It took a team of rappellers a little under an hour to extract the man who suffered major injuries to his head and back. The fire department’s chief of operations said it was a difficult rescue for the 32 firefighters on the scene.
READ MORE: Man dies after 10-metre fall on Mount Royal
“Because of the terrain — there’s a lot of rocks, there’s fallen trees, it’s not a very stable ground, we’re on a mountain — every firefighter that is involved in the rescue has to make sure they are attached in a certain way,” said Chief Ian Ritchie.
The incident happened around midnight on the south side of Mount Royal near part of the Olmsted Trail.
Firefighters said the victim drifted in and out of consciousness during the rescue. They are investigating if alcohol or health issues could have been factors in the accident.
The man fell in the same area as Shreyas Roy, a 38-year-old surgeon who fell to his death on the mountain in July 2017.