Boy injured after falling onto rocks at Avon Descent white water race WA

A teenage boy has been injured after falling from a bridge onto rocks at Bells Rapids while watching the Avon Descent, a white water race held annually east of Perth.

The accident happened about 11:15am as competitors continued to race through the rapids.

It took emergency services about 20 minutes to stretcher the boy off the rocks, with fast moving water making the rescue difficult.

With a large crowd looking on, rescuers stretchered the boy onto a waiting dingy before moving him to shore.

Police officers, paramedics and rescuers helped lift the boy, who was wrapped in foil for warmth, up a steep slope into a waiting ambulance.

Bells Rapid is about 40 kilometres from the start of day two of racing for the 2017 Avon Descent, and attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

The notorious rapids are the final hurdle for competitors, and represent the end of the difficult section of the race.

Several kayakers came unstuck attempting to navigate the fast moving water.

The Avon Descent covers 124 kilometres of the river.

Source: Boy injured after falling onto rocks at Avon Descent white water race – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)