Three Australians rescued from Uluru despite Aboriginal pleas not to climb sacred rock

Young men become stuck in a crevasse after straying off official path

Uluru, Australia: Otherwise known as Ayers Rock, the 348m-high sandstone formation in central Australia is 9.4km in circumference and is a natural wonder particularly sacred to aboriginals (AP)

Three Australian men have been rescued from a crevasse on the Uluru rock formation despite Aboriginal pleas for people not to climb the sacred site.

The men, all aged 22, were recovered after rescuers abseiled 320m down to them in strong winds. The trio had strayed off the official tourist path at the site, also known as Ayers Rock.

Due to the location of the crevasse, rescuers were not able to climb up to them.

As a result, the rescue team were carried by helicopter to the top of Uluru, which is 348m high.

Alan Leahy, from the Northern Territory Emergency Service, said: "Due to the fading light and lack of anchors, the rescue effort was slow and methodical

"We abseiled about 320 metres to the stranded men. There were very strong winds that kept on tangling the rope."

The seven members of the rescue team were armed only with head torches to find the stranded men as the light faded, according to AFP.

NT Emergency Service's southern regional manager Claire Barker told ABC: "Where they were situated was very steep and we couldn't get them to climb up from where they were, they were actually stuck.

"So our guys had to start from the top of the rock to where they were and pluck them off, now while that sounds very easy, it's actually very arduous and very difficult."

Climbing Uluru is a popular tourist activity in the centre of the Australian outback but members of the local Aboriginal community, the Anangu, have asked people to respect the sacred importance of the large rock.