A 31-year-old fisherman has been rescued alive after spending 15 days missing in a water-filled sinkhole.
Erasto Crisanto Valdez disappeared while fishing with his father in a cenote in San Francisco La Paz, Mexico, on 23 July.
A cenote is a deep natural well or sinkhole formed by the collapse of surface limestone, exposing groundwater beneath.
READ MORE: Giant great white shark relative snatches stunned fisherman’s catch in one bite
A search operation began immediately, but initial searches in the water yielded no results.
The depth of the cenote and the difficult conditions at the site made it challenging to locate Erasto.
Six days later, on 29 July, divers taking part in the operation found the harpoon he had been carrying.
It was discovered at a depth of approximately 65m (213ft) in the cenote, as reported by Need To Know.
On Thursday (6 August), 15 days after Erasto disappeared, explorers from Mexico, Germany, the US and the Dominican Republic finally managed to locate him.
Remarkably, he was alive, reportedly trapped in a cave with an air pocket more than 100m (328ft) below the surface.
Mexican explorer Carlos Jiménez described the discovery as a miracle.
He told local media: “We were prepared to find his body. But God had other plans.”
Erasto was then brought to the surface on a stretcher.
He would have faced cold, humidity, darkness and exhaustion during his time in the cave.
Suffering from severe dehydration and malnutrition after spending more than two weeks without access to food, he was taken by ambulance for medical treatment.
He is now recovering in hospital in his hometown of Uxpanapa.
READ MORE: Fisherman gets 9cm lead bait sinker stuck in EYE
