Woman choked unconscious in conveyer belt accident

File photo / NZ Herald

A 24-year-old woman was choked unconscious when her hair and scarf were caught in a vegetable conveyor belt in Canterbury.

The incident happened at a vegetable processing company in Bankside, 50km southwest of Christchurch, on Monday, a Garden City Helicopters spokeswoman said.

The woman's hair and scarf were caught in the belt, which pulled her in and the scarf tightened around her neck.

"She had quite marked ligature marks around her neck," the spokeswoman said.

The incident left the woman unconscious for about five to 10 minutes.

The scarf was cut away by the woman's co-workers, she said.

She was flown by rescue helicopter to Christchurch Hospital where she was treated and discharged on Tuesday.

WorkSafe New Zealand said it was investigating the incident.