Child Plunges 22 Feet After Zipline Cable Snaps, Miraculously Survives Without Serious Injury

A 9-year-old boy who fell from a zipline course in the Australian state of Queensland last weekend survived the incident and got discharged from the hospital early this week.

The unnamed child was about 50 meters (164 feet) into the TreeTop Challenge course in Woombye Sunday when a cable snapped, causing him and his family to fall at around 3:25 p.m., 7News.com.au reported.

After experiencing a 7-meter (23-feet) fall, paramedics brought the boy to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in stable condition.

While he complained of abdominal and lower back pain, the child remained conscious throughout the ordeal, according to Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman Lorenz Kleinberg.

"He’s been awake and talking the whole time, in the company of his mum, and was conscious the whole time," Kleinberg said.

The boy was initially thought to have suffered potential spinal injuries from the fall but avoided serious injury and was discharged from Sunshine Coast University Hospital Monday, according to a more recent 7News.com.au report.

The operators of the TreeTop Challenge have apologized to the child and his family.

An internal review has since been launched after the fall.

The park was reportedly closed Monday as workplace safety officials investigated the incident.

Equipment, including part of the zipline and harness, has been seized as part of the investigations.

The theme park ropes participants up to 30 meters (98 feet) above the ground as they traverse the course, which included 12 ziplines up to 14 meters (46 feet) long.

In a similar incident from late last year, a woman in Kazakhstan died while partaking in "rope free-flying" due to a communications mishap.

Yevgenia Leontyeva fell 82 feet to her death after jumping off the roof of a hotel in the Kazakh city of Karaganda last October.

Leontyeva was given the "go" signal to leap before her safety rope could be fastened to a tree by the organizer, which meant the latter was holding Leontyeva's lifeline with his hand when she took the plunge.

The 33-year-old mother of three ended up plummeting 82 feet to the ground below and being dragged 12 feet sideways into a wall.

She was taken to a hospital and received emergency surgery but later succumbed to her injuries.