A grain silo in Dunolly became the center of a multi-agency rescue.

There is a particular kind of silence that fills a grain silo—a space designed for storage, not for people, where the walls close in and the air grows heavy. On Tuesday afternoon, that silence was broken by the arrival of sirens, as emergency crews from across Victoria converged on a small town to free a man who had become trapped in one.

The 65-year-old man was working at the GrainCorp facility on Thompson Street in Dunolly, north of Maryborough, when he became trapped shortly before 3:30 p.m. Emergency services were called, and a multi-agency rescue operation began .

Crews from Ambulance Victoria, Victoria Police, the Country Fire Authority, Fire Rescue Victoria, and the State Emergency Service responded. A specialist Air Ambulance Victoria helicopter crew, along with Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance and Advanced Life Support paramedics, were dispatched to the scene .

The rescue took several hours. A CFA spokesperson confirmed that the man was freed about 7 p.m.—roughly three and a half hours after he became trapped. He was then flown to Melbourne by Air Ambulance Victoria for medical treatment. His condition was not immediately known .

Grain silo rescues are among the most challenging operations emergency crews face. The confined space, the shifting weight of the grain, and the limited visibility create conditions that demand specialized skills and careful coordination. In this case, multiple agencies worked together for hours, each bringing their own expertise to a single, shared goal.

GrainCorp confirmed the incident while the rescue was still underway. "We are supporting emergency services as they respond," a spokesperson said. "As the situation is still unfolding, our immediate focus is on the safety and welfare of the individual involved" .

WorkSafe Victoria has launched an investigation into the incident. The man's name has not been released, and the circumstances that led to his entrapment remain under review.

For the town of Dunolly, the afternoon was marked by the sound of helicopters and the presence of crews from across the state. By evening, the man was free, and the operation had come to its quiet conclusion.

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Sources: 7NEWS, OZ Arab Media, BrightWire