A man is lucky to be alive after falling down a 30-metre opal mine shaft in the iconic South Australian outback town of Coober Pedy.
Seven CFS volunteers and the Coober Pedy Mine Rescue squad took three hours to pull the man out of the mine on Saturday night.
Ambulance crews, police and an on-call doctor also pitched in with the rescue effort.
"It shows that in our remote Opal mining-town, that all services can team up together for a great outcome," the Coober Pedy CFS brigade posted on Facebook.
The man was taken to the Coober Pedy Hospital before being airlifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
He remains in a stable condition, an SA Health spokesperson told AAP.
Coober Pedy's opal fields are riddled with abandoned prospecting drill holes, posing a serious threat to unsuspecting wanderers.
The Coober Pedy Retail, Business and Tourism Association estimates more than 1.5 million open shafts dot the area.
A 22-year-old man was rescued in 2018 after falling six metres down a shaft while scouring for opals.
In 2006, a 50-year-old woman died after falling down a 30-metre open shaft in the Dead Man's Gully opal field about 10km north of Coober Pedy.
Meanwhile, two men and their dog miraculously escaped injury when a van flew through the front wall of their house in the Adelaide Hills, narrowly missing them.
The vehicle became airborne when it left the road at Nairne about 11pm on Saturday, police said.
The men had been sitting in the front lounge room at the time.
The driver, a 27-year-old Milang man, was taken to Mount Barker Hospital for treatment of minor injuries and to have a blood sample taken.
SES rescuers propped the front wall up for safety and the van was towed from the scene.
Investigations into the crash continue.
