Post by L Roebuck on May 3, 2006 17:49:45 GMT -5
U.S. divers join in search for trapped Mexican caver
8:48 p.m. April 13, 2004
PUEBLA, Mexico – Two expert U.S. cave divers arrived in central Mexico Tuesday and joined in a search for a Mexican caver lost for six days in a partly flooded cavern.
Television footage showed the divers in scuba gear descending into the Santiago Balvanera cave, 120 kilometers (75 miles) southeast of Mexico City, where poor visibility in muddy waters made movement difficult even for seasoned cave divers like the lost man, Mariano Fuentes Silva, 32.
"If he's a young, fit diver and he's got his wet suit on, he can survive many, many days," U.S. diving expert Steve Ormeroid, one of the rescuers, told the television network Televisa.
Fuentes Silva's family members quoted rescuers as saying there may be a dry shelf or cavern above the water in the cave, where the lost caver might have taken refuge.
The missing man is one of four people trapped last week while exploring the Santiago Balvanera cave. Emergency officials rescued the three others last week.
The three rescued cavers were treated for hypothermia, a consequence of wet conditions in the cave.
Last month, 13 members of a British military exploration team were trapped in a Mexican cave for more than a week by rising flood waters.
Following their rescue, the explorers were deported from the country for allegedly violating their Mexican visas. The migration department said they were performing scientific activities while claiming to be tourists.
The Britons dismissed that accusation, noting that even Mexican tourism officials consider caving a sport, not a scientific activity.
It was unclear what type of visa the U.S. cavers participating in the rescue had.
SignOnSanDiego.com
8:48 p.m. April 13, 2004
PUEBLA, Mexico – Two expert U.S. cave divers arrived in central Mexico Tuesday and joined in a search for a Mexican caver lost for six days in a partly flooded cavern.
Television footage showed the divers in scuba gear descending into the Santiago Balvanera cave, 120 kilometers (75 miles) southeast of Mexico City, where poor visibility in muddy waters made movement difficult even for seasoned cave divers like the lost man, Mariano Fuentes Silva, 32.
"If he's a young, fit diver and he's got his wet suit on, he can survive many, many days," U.S. diving expert Steve Ormeroid, one of the rescuers, told the television network Televisa.
Fuentes Silva's family members quoted rescuers as saying there may be a dry shelf or cavern above the water in the cave, where the lost caver might have taken refuge.
The missing man is one of four people trapped last week while exploring the Santiago Balvanera cave. Emergency officials rescued the three others last week.
The three rescued cavers were treated for hypothermia, a consequence of wet conditions in the cave.
Last month, 13 members of a British military exploration team were trapped in a Mexican cave for more than a week by rising flood waters.
Following their rescue, the explorers were deported from the country for allegedly violating their Mexican visas. The migration department said they were performing scientific activities while claiming to be tourists.
The Britons dismissed that accusation, noting that even Mexican tourism officials consider caving a sport, not a scientific activity.
It was unclear what type of visa the U.S. cavers participating in the rescue had.
SignOnSanDiego.com