Injured Man Rescued From UK’s Deepest Cave After Two-Day Ordeal Doing ‘Remarkably Well’
10:24 GMT 09.11.2021 (Updated: 15:16 GMT 28.05.2023)
Subscribe
More than 240 people and eight cave rescue teams are reported to have been involved in the operation to rescue a caver in his forties who became trapped in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu near Penwyllt, South Wales, on Saturday, after falling and sustaining injuries that prevented him from climbing out.
The injured man rescued after spending two days trapped in the cave system in the Brecon Beacons, South Wales, was reported to be doing well by emergency services.
"The casualty is doing remarkably well if you consider how long he's been in the cave, how long he's been in a stretcher- he's doing very well indeed," Gary Evans, the emergency services liaison officer, told reporters, according to Sky News.
He added that everyone involved was "delighted" with the outcome.
"...The casualty has done really well considering what's happened."
👏 What a team effort - about 250 people came together for Wales' longest cave rescue
— BBC Wales News (@BBCWalesNews) November 8, 2021
More: https://t.co/OChSeRAjL8 pic.twitter.com/pwRhobIq0J
In an effort that involved over 240 people and at least eight cave rescue teams, the man, in his forties, was lifted out on a stretcher from Ogof Ffynnon Ddu near Penwyllt on Monday evening. After his 54-hour ordeal he was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.
The caver’s injuries, which are not thought to be life-threatening, reportedly include a broken jaw, leg, and possible spinal injuries.
According to the South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team, the man, believed to have gone into the cave system in a group, fell while caving in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu (Welsh for Cave of the Black Spring) near Penwyllt on Saturday.
Wales cave rescuers edge closer to victim as desperate bid stretches into night https://t.co/BbL51yRAsE pic.twitter.com/2eXi2J3fTm
— Woody (@Knewz_Currently) November 8, 2021
Due to the sustained injuries he was unable to climb out of the cave on his own. Other cavers in the group had supposedly managed to get out and call for help.
When found, the man was placed on a stretcher, with rescuers using a device that put hot air into his lungs, to prevent him from succumbing to hypothermia.
"The extraction of an injured caver from such a complex cave system creates many challenges including negotiating small tunnels, climbs, rivers and continuously uneven ground," said the rescue team.
Peter Francis, of the South Wales Caving Club (SWCC), was cited as marvelling at what was probably the longest rescue mission in a cave in Britain.
"To actually carry somebody in a stretcher, this is a 60-hour job. It's unbelievable," he told Sky News.
