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Volunteer Sydney doctor Josette Docherty, who treated an injured New Zealander and his girlfriend. - Source: Supplied
A New Zealander pulled arrows from his chest after being shot while his girlfriend was raped by a tribesman in Papua New Guinea.
Matthew St John Scheurich, 28, was hit twice in the chest by arrows and bashed on the head with a rock in the attack.
His girlfriend, age 29, a French national and anthropologist, was physically and sexually assaulted while doing research with a tribe. She suffered bite wounds, cuts, scratches and bruises.
Scheurich suffered two arrow wounds and lacerations to the face caused by thrown rocks in the June 19 attack, details of which only emerged tonight.
One of the arrows penetrated Scheurich's right lung, resulting in significant bleeding.
His girlfriend activated an emergency beacon and the couple managed to make their way to an aid post where they were airlifted to a local hospital.
Australian doctors working there as volunteers were able to save Scheurich's life.
Volunteer Sydney doctors Josette Docherty and Allan Mason said the man lost 1.5 litres of blood, and Mason donated half a litre of his own blood to stabilise Scheurich.
They said he was lucky to survive, with one of the arrows piercing the wall of his stomach and stopping close to his aorta. He also suffered a serious wound above his eye, down to the bone.
The couple have since been treated and discharged from Cairns Hospital.
Daru-Kiunga Bishop Gilles Cote, whose church members helped look after the couple immediately after their ordeal, said it appeared their attacker had taken a liking to the French woman, and wanted to marry her, the Cairns Post reported.
- With Newstalk ZB
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