LILLE, France (Reuters) - A 265-kg (585-pound) French woman who had not left home in six years was hoisted by crane from her apartment and taken to hospital, the local fire department says.
The 49-year-old woman fell ill late on Sunday but was too large to be carried down the winding stairs of her apartment building in the northern town of Bruay-sur-l'Escaut. It took 30 firemen six hours to extract her from the second-floor flat.
"After 28 years with the fire department, it's the first time I have taken part in this kind of operation. We even had to dismantle part of the window to evacuate the patient," said a Bruay fire service official.
The mother of four, who suffers from respiratory problems, was taken by fire engine to a hospital in nearby Valenciennes where she remained in critical condition.
The 49-year-old woman fell ill late on Sunday but was too large to be carried down the winding stairs of her apartment building in the northern town of Bruay-sur-l'Escaut. It took 30 firemen six hours to extract her from the second-floor flat.
"After 28 years with the fire department, it's the first time I have taken part in this kind of operation. We even had to dismantle part of the window to evacuate the patient," said a Bruay fire service official.
The mother of four, who suffers from respiratory problems, was taken by fire engine to a hospital in nearby Valenciennes where she remained in critical condition.
