A fishing trip turned into an extraordinary survival story after a 31-year-old Mexican fisherman disappeared inside a cenote and was found alive 15 days later. Rescuers had spent more than two weeks searching a difficult underground cave system before discovering him alive deep inside the darkness.
Erasto Crisanto Valdez, a fisherman from Uxpanapa in the Mexican state of Veracruz, disappeared on July 23 while fishing with his father near San Francisco La Paz.
According to local reports, Valdez entered a cenote — a natural water-filled sinkhole connected to an underground cave system — and became disoriented after going underwater.
For 15 days, his family and rescue teams searched for him.
Then came the discovery few expected.
Found Alive After Two Weeks Underground
On August 7, rescue teams located Valdez alive inside the cave system, reportedly more than 100 meters deep.
A video shared by Canal 13 Oaxaca shows rescuers carrying him away from the remote area after the extraordinary rescue.
Valdez had survived for more than two weeks without food.
He later explained that he found himself inside a natural air chamber within the cave. In complete darkness, unable to determine whether it was day or night, he survived by drinking water available inside the cenote.
A Search That Became a Rescue
As the days passed, hopes of finding him alive had faded.
But specialist divers continued exploring the underwater passages until they finally reached the chamber where Valdez was trapped.
After being brought safely out of the cave, he was taken for medical treatment for dehydration and the effects of spending more than two weeks without food.
What began as a disappearance in one of Mexico’s underground cave systems ultimately became a remarkable survival story — 15 days in darkness, more than 100 meters inside a cave, and an ending few believed was still possible.
Sources: Canal 13 Oaxaca / X; Expresiones Guerrero / X; Steven J. Latham / X; Municipal Government of Uxpanapa; PEOPLE
By NJ RADAR Team