A Mexican fisherman has been pulled out alive after surviving more than two weeks trapped deep inside an underwater sinkhole.
Erasto Crisanto Valdez, 31, vanished on July 23 while fishing with his father in a cenote — a natural limestone sinkhole — in San Francisco La Paz, Mexico.
His rescue did not come until August 7, 15 days after he disappeared, following a difficult international search operation.
Six days into the search, rescue teams discovered a harpoon believed to have belonged to Valdez at a depth of about 65 metres, or 213 feet.
More than a week later, rescuers finally located him inside a submerged cave where an air pocket had allowed him to stay alive more than 100 metres, or 328 feet, below the surface.
Specialist explorers and divers from Mexico, Germany, the United States and the Dominican Republic took part in the extraordinary effort to reach him.
Mexican explorer Carlos Jimenez described the dramatic cenote rescue as nothing short of a “miracle.”
“We were prepared to find his body,” Jimenez said, before adding: “But God had other plans.”
Erasto Crisanto Valdez, 31, disappeared in July while fishing with his father in a cenote, a natural sinkhole, in San Francisco La Paz, Mexico
Six days after he went missing, rescuers found a harpoon Mr Valdez had been carrying at a depth of around 65m (213ft)
Mr Valdez was brought back to the surface on a stretcher and was suffering from severe dehydration and malnutrition after more than a fortnight without food.
He was taken to hospital in his home town of Uxpanapa by ambulance.
Speaking to NMás, Mr Valdez said: ‘Thank you God for giving me another opportunity at life and letting me see my kids and family again. It was a miracle – an unbelievable miracle.’
Mr Valdez told Mexican officials that he became trapped after pursuing a robalo, or common snook, that he was trying to catch. When he tried to return, he could no longer find the way out.
‘I remained in shock because I couldn’t find the exit,’ he reportedly said after the rescue. ‘It was a lapse of time that was cut off, as if time had stopped.’
The man’s father unsuccesfully tried to find him before seeking help.
The search was conducted by relatives, nearby locals, civil-protection divers, and later Mexican Navy divers and international explorers.
Mr Valdez was formally reported missing on July 26. Four days later, authorities announced that the initial specialist phase was over, but a wider search would continue.
It was only after an international effort 15 days later that Mr Valdez was rescued from the sinkhole
The cave Mr Valdez became trapped in was unexplored, with poor visibility and sharp rocks that jutted out, making the rescue effort particularly challenging.
Experienced American cave-diver Harry Gust, who participated in the search, told Divernet that the search for Mr Valdez was presented to him as a body recovery mission.
About 75 minutes into his first dive, Mr Gust found a spare air tank about 100 meters (328ft) inside the cave, he told the outlet.
That gave an indication of the route Mr Valdez may have taken, but provided no indication that he might still be alive.
The next day, Mr Gust returned to the spot where he found the air tank and found ‘a large dry cave,’ he told Divernet.
The diver called out asking if someone was there, then heard Mr Valdez reply: ‘Yes!’
The man had been trapped in the cave for the past 15 days waiting to be rescued. ‘I could not see him but assured him that I was coming back for him with more help,’ Mr Gust said.
Mr Gust returned with another diver, and they gave Mr Valdez a breathing apparatus connecting to an air tank.
They then transported the severely dehydrated and malnourished man 100 meters underwater through the darkness back to the surface of the cenote.
