A California man was rescued Friday after falling from a cliff crevasse he carved himself, New York Post reported.
The unidentified man was trapped for days before first responders rescued him from the cliff in California, according to the New York Post. The man was building a tunnel shelter which collapsed, leaving him wedged beneath rocks. The situation came to light Thursday afternoon when passersby was drawn by his screams and alerted authorities, according to the outlet. The man, confined in a space barely 18 inches wide, claimed to have been trapped for multiple days, the outlet reported.
The San Diego Fire Department (SDFD) mobilized an extensive operation. Rescuers reportedly faced a challenge during the operation, described as hazardous for both the victim and the team, according to the outlet. By the time they located him under a riprap tunnel, the tide began to rise, necessitating an overnight pause, according to the outlet. The team provided the man with blankets, IV fluids and nutrition to sustain him through his ordeal, the outlet reported.
Man trapped in ‘treacherous’ San Diego cliff for days after sliding down tunnel he made https://t.co/8o2UV5qFXH pic.twitter.com/iGWPgq5RSi
— New York Post (@nypost) December 23, 2023
“SDFD crews don’t know how long the man was in the hole but he told our crews he was there for a couple of days,” the department said, the New York Post noted.
The mission intensified with the arrival of volunteer cave rescue specialists Friday morning, according to the New York Post. The operation reportedly involved two petite first responders who descended into the crevasse, then drilled and set off micro blasts to free the man from the crushing rocks. (RELATED: Iceland’s Coast Guard Rescues Man Stranded Near Volcanic Eruption Site)
The victim reportedly fluctuated in and out of consciousness during the ordeal. At 11 a.m. Friday, he was airlifted to safety and promptly transported to a hospital. Despite enduring dehydration and injuries to his abdomen and legs, officials confirmed his stable condition after the nearly 20-hour entrapment, the New York Post reported.