By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-17 03:10:56 | Updated at 2026-08-17 06:23:21
3 hours ago
A fisherman has been rescued alive after spending more than two weeks trapped in an underwater sinkhole.
Erasto Crisanto Valdez, 31, disappeared in July while fishing with his father in a cenote, a natural sinkhole, in San Francisco La Paz, Mexico.
It was only after an international effort 15 days later that Mr Valdez was rescued from the sinkhole.
Six days after he went missing, rescuers found a harpoon Mr Valdez had been carrying at a depth of around 65m (213ft).
And some 15 days after he first went missing, rescuers found the fisherman in a cave with an air pocket more than 100m (328ft) below the surface.
Explorers from Mexico, Germany, the US and the Dominican Republic had joined the effort to save him.
Mexican explorer Carlos Jimenez said the rescue was a 'miracle'.
'We were prepared to find his body,' he said, adding: 'But God had other plans.'
Erasto Crisanto Valdez, 31, disappeared in July while fishing with his father in a cenote, a natural sinkhole, in San Francisco La Paz, Mexico
Six days after he went missing, rescuers found a harpoon Mr Valdez had been carrying at a depth of around 65m (213ft)
It was only after an international effort 15 days later that Mr Valdez was rescued from the sinkhole
Mr Valdez was brought back to the surface on a stretcher and was suffering from severe dehydration and malnutrition after more than a fortnight without food.
He was taken to hospital in his home town of Uxpanapa by ambulance.
Speaking to NMás, Mr Valdez said: 'Thank you God for giving me another opportunity at life and letting me see my kids and family again. It was a miracle – an unbelievable miracle.'
Mr Valdez told Mexican officials that he became trapped after pursuing a robalo, or common snook, that he was trying to catch. When he tried to return, he could no longer find the way out.
'I remained in shock because I couldn’t find the exit,' he reportedly said after the rescue. 'It was a lapse of time that was cut off, as if time had stopped.'
The man's father unsuccesfully tried to find him before seeking help.
The search was conducted by relatives, nearby locals, civil-protection divers, and later Mexican Navy divers and international explorers.
Mr Valdez was formally reported missing on July 26. Four days later, authorities announced that the initial specialist phase was over, but a wider search would continue.
The cave Mr Valdez became trapped in was unexplored, with poor visibility and sharp rocks that jutted out, making the rescue effort particularly challenging.
