Man Stuck In 15-Foot-Deep Septic Tank For 5+ Hours

DELHI, Ohio – Authorities say an 80-year-old man was stuck for up to six hours in a septic tank 15 feet deep behind his suburban Cincinnati home.

Delhi Township fire officials say they don’t know how Paul Paff became trapped in the cistern on Tuesday. Authorities say he showed signs of hypothermia when an estimated 60 emergency personnel pulled him out of knee-deep sludge just after 7:30 p.m.

A spokesman for University Hospital in Cincinnati said Paff was hospitalized in serious condition Wednesday.

Rescuers were summoned at around 5 p.m. Tuesday after a dog two doors down began barking wildly, and a woman at the home then heard Paff calling for help.

Delhi Township Fire Chief Bill Zoz says Paff may fallen into the hole up to 3½ hours earlier.

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