An injured man has been stretchered out of a remote cave on Tasmania's west coast after he fell several metres, triggering a complex eight-hour rescue effort.
Police say the 62-year-old Ulverstone man was caving with three friends near Mount Cripps on Saturday when he fell off a ladder inside the narrow cave system and hurt his back, leaving him unable to climb out.
Two of his companions hiked several hours to a point where they could use their mobile phones and raised the alarm.
An emergency response team of around 60 ambulance, police, SES and Northern Caverneers Caving Club members reached the caves about 1am on Sunday.
"It only took about 20 minutes to get from the main entrance of the cave to the injured person, but it took almost eight hours to bring him out," Police Acting Inspector Dave Chapman told reporters on Sunday.
"It (the rescue) was highly technical - a crawl-in, and then a downward section, and then another downward section with a waterfall in it."
He said the man - who was suffering from mild hypothermia and a back injury - was constantly monitored by ambulance officers.
"He was unable to move so he had to be stretchered up. It took a lot of a equipment to pull him out."
Rescuers reached the surface with the injured caver around 8.30am on Sunday, and were met by a rescue helicopter which airlifted the man to Royal Hobart Hospital in a stable condition.
