Indianapolis woman rescued after police spot hand sticking out of sewer

An Indiana woman in her 50s was plucked out of a storm drain Tuesday after rescuers noticed her fingers sticking through the ground-level grates.

Officers from the police department’s bike unit were patrolling Indianapolis’ East Gate neighborhood when they stumbled upon the bewildering sight shortly before 3 p.m.

“Patrol officers noticed her hand sticking up through the manhole cover,” the Indianapolis Fire Department said on Facebook.


Firefighters open the manhole cover.
Police and firefighters rushed to the rescue of a woman after spotting her hands sticking up through the grates of a manhole cover.
Indianapolis Fire Department

Fire officials responded to the scene to remove the manhole cover by using ropes, chains, blocks of wood and a giant clamp.

It took over a dozen officers from the fire and police departments to yank the woman out of the small hole.

The woman — described only as “50ish” — appeared only slightly dirtied from her underground expedition and was found to be in good condition after she was taken to the hospital.


Firefighters open the manhole cover.
Police said the woman had entered the storm drain at another location and became disoriented.
Indianapolis Fire Department

Firefighters open the manhole cover.
The unusual incident occurred in Indianapolis’s East Gate neighborhood.
Indianapolis Fire Department

Firefighters open the manhole cover.
More than a dozen firefighters and police officers lifted the woman to safety.
Indianapolis Fire Department

“The female had entered the sewer area in another location to explore when she got disoriented and lost her way,” a police spokesperson told The Post.

It is unclear how long she had been wandering the underground tunnels and how far she had traveled before seeking out help, police said.

In March, five Staten Island kids became lost in a storm drain after their curiosity over the subterranean sewer overpowered them.


The woman exits the sewer.
The woman was exploring the storm drain when she lost her way, police said.
Indianapolis Fire Department

They had crawled through an opening near the borough’s zoo and walked for about a quarter of a mile before losing their way.

The youngsters called 911 and were lifted from the drain roughly 30 minutes later, with only one suffering a minor leg injury.