Moment fisherman, 31, is rescued alive after 15 days trapped in an underwater cave

Published: 02:19, 17 August 2026 | Updated: 02:20, 17 August 2026 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. 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 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.' 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 an ambulance.