A Chinese diver has reportedly been found alive after spending five days and nights trapped in an underwater cave system near Furong Town in Xiangxi, in China’s Hunan Province.
The diver, who has been named only as ‘Wang’ and is believed to be in his 40s, became separated from his buddy and mistakenly entered the cave system while the pair were diving in a local river on 19 July.
Although the river has not been named, it is likely the River Youshui which runs through Furong Town and is known for its karst structure – or one of its tributaries.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post, the river is ‘several dozen metres deep’ with the entrance to the cave system located approximately nine metres below the surface.
A search operation was launched by the Xiangxi Shuguang Rescue Team and a specialist cave diving team from the city of Baise’s police force.
The rescue team made two dives to a distance of around 130 metres inside the cave (original reports say to a depth of 130m, however, this is unlikely).
While the first attempt proved unsuccessful, the team heard what sounded like somebody knocking on rocks as they began their second, and instructed their boat crew to shut off the engines so that they could hear it more clearly.
The sound did not return, but the team unknowingly swam directly under the air pocket where Wang had taken refuge as they descended into the cave during their second dive.
According to Tian Yanglin, the captain of the Xiangxi Shuguang Rescue Team, Wang had seen them as they passed and tried knocking on the rocks to draw their attention, but the divers did not hear him.
On the rescue team’s return journey, however, Wang jumped into the water waving a torch to alert them to his presence. Tian said that this was Wang’s ‘last chance’, as his ‘oxygen supply level dropped to just four per cent’.
Wang said he had survived by catching and eating raw fish and was described as being in ‘good condition’ after his ordeal. He was able to walk unaided to the ambulance, where his first words to his rescuers were, ‘Do you have a cigarette?’
