A man has been rescued from a cave system in the Brecon Beacons after getting injured and being stuck for two days.
Rescue workers pulled the man out of Ogof Ffynnon Ddu near Penwyllt on Monday evening in what is believed to be the longest stretcher carry in British cave rescue history.
The caver in his 40s is alive after his 54-hour ordeal and was taken to hospital in an ambulance. Rescuers say he is in good condition.
The man was rescued after 54 hours. Pic: South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team
Rescue workers bringing the man out of the cave. Pic: South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team
The South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team said the man fell while caving in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu near Penwyllt on Saturday.
He was unable to climb out because of the injuries he suffered in the fall.
His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, but are believed to include a broken jaw, leg, and spinal injuries.
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Rescued caver in ‘good condition’
The rescue team added: “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.”
Sky News reporter Becky Johnson witnessed the moment he was brought to the surface on a stretcher in dark and wet conditions.
Peter Francis, of the South Wales Caving Club (SWCC), thinks it was 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.
“It’s involved most of the rescue teams in Britain and the way they’ve worked together, meshed together – I just feel so proud of all of them.”
More than 300 volunteers from 10 rescue teams worked with the emergency services. Pic: South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team
Pic: South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team
Discussing the man’s condition, he said: “He’s in good condition. I was here when the callout started. I was very worried then, would we get him out alive or would he deteriorate?
“All Saturday we were worried. Most of yesterday we were worried. So this is a huge relief for us.”
He added: “He was just incredibly unlucky. Physically, he put his foot in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“He could have done it on a pavement, in which case he would have been in hospital 10 minutes afterwards.
“But he was a mile or two underground in an awkward place. All the odds were against him, but his mental powers properly got him through. He was in an awful lot of pain to begin with, until we could get the drugs to him. He stood by all that.
“I’m absolutely impressed to no end how the teams worked together. A lot of them didn’t know each other and had never worked together before. And the fact they pulled this off – I’m absolutely thrilled.”
The man is thought to have gone into the cave system in a group, with others managing to get out and call for help.
The severity of his injuries are unclear, but he was placed on a stretcher and rescuers used a device that put hot air into his lungs, as they fought to keep him warm so he did not catch hypothermia.
