NZ fire crew called out over genital ring

A New Zealand Fire Service operation to cut a man's genital ring off after he was admitted to hospital in agonising pain has been deemed a success.

Four firefighters wielding heavy-duty cutting equipment have been called to a New Zealand hospital to cut off a man's genital ring.

The fire crew were called to the emergency department of Middlemore Hospital in Auckland on Wednesday morning where a man was in agonising pain, a Fire Service spokesman says, to cut off a piercing down there.

Middlemore Hospital's regular cutting gear, usually used for soft metals like gold, was not up to the task of removing the stainless steel ring, prompting the firefighter call out.

The operation using a high-speed dremel cutting tool was a success, the spokesman said.