Three people lucky to be alive after swallowed by sinkhole at Moree

Three people who were swallowed by a sinkhole in regional NSW likely only survived because of one lucky detail.

Three people are lucky to be alive after a giant sinkhole opened up beneath them in northern NSW.

Firefighters were walking back to their truck from Moree Hospital when they heard cries for help coming from a nearby riverbank just before midnight on Wednesday.

They discovered three people trapped inside the sinkhole next to the Mehi River and gathered flood rescue gear to help pull them to safety.

Firefighters heard their cries for help while walking to their truck. Picture: Fire and Rescue NSW

One man was able to climb out on his own, but the others, a man and a woman, needed the firefighters’ help.

“They were all lucky to escape injury,” Fire and Rescue NSW said in a statement.

It is believed the trio was standing near the river watching the floodwaters when the sinkhole swallowed them.

Narrabri crew leader Jason Anderson said they were lucky to escape with their lives.

He warned people not to venture into or near swollen rivers or floodwater.

Originally published as Three people lucky to be alive after swallowed by sinkhole at Moree