Australian man rescued after two days in drain

A man in his early 20s has been rescued after spending two days stuck in a Melbourne stormwater drain. A passer-by heard his calls for help just before 10am yesterday.

The man was stuck in the drain in a suburban street in St Albans, in Melbourne's western suburbs.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade officer Damien Burke said firefighters used crowbars to lift the lid on the drain and get him out.

"He must have gained access via an open drain in the vicinity somewhere and tunnelled down to where we found him," he said.

It's believed he had been stuck in the drain for at least two days.

Paramedics took him to the Western Hospital in Sunshine, where he is now in a stable condition. He was suffering from exposure and had various cuts and abrasions, a Metropolitan Ambulance spokesman said.