An Australian miner amputated his own arm with a knife after becoming pinned under a tractor, police said Sunday.

In a case evoking memories of American climber Aron Ralston, who earlier this year hacked off part of his arm after getting trapped under a boulder in a remote Utah canyon, Colin Jones severed his arm with a short-bladed craft knife, New South Wales state police said in a statement.

Jones, 43, became trapped late Saturday night 1.5 miles underground in a coal mine near Lake Macquarie, just south of Newcastle on Australia's east coast.

Police said his tractor, which was carrying three tons of limestone dust, was believed to have tipped over after hitting a hole on a sharp bend in a mine shaft.

Another worker discovered the injured miner and raised an alarm, but Jones insisted on severing his arm below the elbow rather than waiting for rescue, police said.

It was not immediately clear how long Jones was trapped.

He was being treated at the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, about 95 miles north of Sydney, where his condition was listed as stable.

Doctors had hoped to reattach the man's arm but were unsuccessful, a labor union spokesman said.

"They were unable to save his arm because of the extent of the crush injuries," said Les Yates of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.

Lake Macquarie Police Local Area Commander Michael Kenny said police would continue their investigation into the accident. Kenny said Jones may have severed the arm because he feared his vehicle would catch fire.

A spokesman for the mine, owned by West Wallsend Colliery, declined to comment, saying the matter was still under investigation.

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