A Man Trapped In A Cave In Wales For More Than Two Days Has Been Rescued

More than 240 people involved in ending the 54-hour ordeal in the Brecon Beacons.
Rescuers at the entrance of the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system near Penwyllt, Powys in the Brecon Beacons, Wales.
Rescuers at the entrance of the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system near Penwyllt, Powys in the Brecon Beacons, Wales.
Ben Birchall via PA Wire/PA Images

More than 240 people have been involved in the rescue of a man trapped in a cave in Wales for more than two days.

The man was brought out of Ogof Ffynnon Ddu in the Brecon Beacons at around 7.45pm on Monday following a 54-hour ordeal.

After being lifted to the surface he was clapped and cheered by rescuers before being helped into a cave rescue Land Rover ready to be transported down to a waiting ambulance.

Around 70 volunteers made their way down off the mountain to the rescue centre before watching as the man, who is in his 40s, was driven away to Morriston Hospital in Swansea.

Described as an experienced caver, the man had been trapped since Saturday at around 1pm after suffering a fall.

His injuries are said to be non-life threatening, but are believed to include a broken jaw, leg, and spinal injuries.

The rescue operation involved at least eight cave rescue teams from around the UK.

Ben Birchall - PA Images via Getty Images
Ben Birchall - PA Images via Getty Images

Teams of rescuers had been working in shifts to bring him to safety but had been unable to airlift him to hospital by helicopter because of the weather.

Peter Francis, a SMWCRT spokesperson, said the rescue is the longest in South Wales caving history.

The 74-year-old said: “This is the longest rescue we’ve ever done but we’re very pleased with the progress being made.

“The caver was very unlucky here. He’s an experienced caver, a fit caver. And it was a matter of putting his foot in the wrong place.

“He wasn’t in a dangerous part of the cave, it’s just something moved from under him.”

Paul Taylor, spokesman for South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team, said the man had gone into the Cwmdoor entrance of the caves before he fell.

The caves located near to Penwyllt are 300 metres deep, making them the deepest in the UK.

Discovered in 1947, they are also the third longest cave in the UK stretching more than 30 miles.

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