A fisherman who disappeared while fishing in southern Mexico was found alive 15 days later inside a dark chamber that could only be reached through a flooded cave.
Erasto Crisanto Valdez, 31, had been fishing with his father near San Francisco La Paz in the Uxpanapa region of Mexico when he vanished on July 23.
His family had no idea where he had gone.
He followed a fish into the cave
Crisanto later told rescuers that he had followed a fish into the cave while fishing. Once inside, however, he lost his way and became trapped.
The search continued for days, but rescuers eventually feared they might only recover his body.
Specialist cave divers Harry Gust and Rosalino “Rosso” Rivera joined the operation, which led them into the dangerous flooded cave system.
Divers heard a voice in the darkness
On Aug. 7, Gust reached an enclosed chamber deep inside the cave.
Then he heard something unexpected.
Crisanto responded to the diver’s calls.
The fisherman was still alive.
He had spent 15 days in the dark chamber, waiting for someone to find him. Crisanto later said he had survived by drinking water and spending much of his time asleep or praying.
He had also lost track of time.
Crisanto reportedly believed that only three days had passed.
The way out was underwater
Finding Crisanto was only the beginning of the rescue.
The divers supplied him with breathing equipment and carefully guided him through roughly 100 yards of submerged passage.
The route out of the cave was dangerous, requiring the rescuers to navigate the flooded section while keeping Crisanto supplied with air.
Eventually, they brought him back to the surface.
He was taken to hospital
Crisanto was hospitalized after the rescue and was reportedly suffering from dehydration and malnutrition.
After spending more than two weeks isolated inside the cave, his survival stunned those involved in the search.
What had begun as a fishing trip had turned into a 15-day fight for survival in one of the most unforgiving environments imaginable.
For the divers who entered the flooded cave expecting the worst, hearing a man’s voice answer from the darkness turned a recovery mission into an extraordinary rescue.
His family had feared the worst
For more than two weeks, Crisanto’s family had no way of knowing whether he was still alive. His eventual discovery inside the flooded cave brought an extraordinary end to a search that had begun with little hope of finding him alive.
Featured Image: Photo by Léonard Cotte on Unsplash
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