A man miraculously escaped after falling into a narrow crevice in a rock (9 photos + 1 video)
Category: Fires and Catastrophes, PEGI 0+
26 December 2023
In San Diego (California, USA), a man was rescued after he fell into a narrow crevice on the Ocean Beach cliff and got stuck in it. For three days he screamed and called for help, but there was no one nearby. It was lucky that three days later two teenagers were passing by the cliff - they heard a scream and called the rescue service. 
An unidentified middle-aged man became stuck in a 40cm waist-deep hole after falling through broken concrete sections on the side of an Ocean Beach cliff.
He fell to the bottom of a tunnel in the rock, which was at a depth of 3.5-4.5 meters, and got stuck under a stone.
Two teenagers in the area three days later heard a man screaming and called 911.
The San Diego Fire Department quickly responded to the call, but search efforts were suspended due to high tide.
The victim was given electrolytes, hot packs and blankets to keep him warm overnight until the rescue operation could resume.
A team of volunteer cave rescuers from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department began the operation early the next morning.
Current weather conditions in Southern California complicated rescue efforts, as intermittent rain and gusty winds, as well as constant flashes of lightning and thunder, wreaked havoc on the effort.
Rescuers resumed work at 9 a.m. and it took two hours before they were able to rescue the man and pull him to safety.
About 150 rescuers worked from the emergency call on Thursday afternoon until the long-awaited rescue the next day.
To rescue the victim, two of the smallest rescuers, one from San Diego and the other from San Bernardino, descended into the mine, where they drilled small holes and performed micro-explosions to remove the surrounding rock.
Rescuers pulled the man out on a stretcher and took him to the hospital. The man was able to communicate with emergency personnel and was reported to be in stable condition. He suffered injuries to his abdomen and legs and was severely dehydrated. But he was very lucky to be alive.
