Man trapped in cave rescued alive after 54 hours, stretchered to hospital

A man trapped in a cave for 54 hours in Welsh, said he is lucky to be alive after his rescue. Rescued George Linnane expressed he’s given up he “might never come out”.

George Linnane, 38 years, on a caving adventure with a group of Ogof Ffynnon Ddu in the Brecon Beacons in 2021 broke his leg, jaw, and ribs when he fell into the cave.

 It was gathered that about 300 volunteers were involved in the cave rescue operations in Welsh, the United Kingdom. This was said to be the longest cave rescue operation in the history of the UK to save the trapped man, who said he felt “lucky to be alive”.

George Linnane, an engineer from Bristol, is not giving up on caving, saying that caving is part of his life and would resume the adventure very soon.

He also dedicated his life to cave rescue operations in the UK. George Linnane, therefore, joined the South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team, the group that administered the rescue operation that saved him, declaring that it is the “right thing to do”.

Linnane narrated that he went on caving on the morning of November 6 with a small group to the deep cave system near Penwyllt, noting that what would have been a six-hour excursion turned into an epic nightmare after an “instantaneous” fall.

Linnane found himself awake later with serious injuries that he could not move, adding that he suffered life-threatening injuries.

He suffered breakages, a dislocated clavicle, lacerated spleen, collapsed lung and a broken scaphoid in his wrist.

“I was just screaming and screaming in pain at that point. It was nasty,” George Linnane said.

He disclosed that “one friend went to raise the alarm; another stayed and spoke to him for hours to keep him awake.”

George Linnane highlighted: “I kept flipping between two states – there was: ‘I’m going to fight this and survive’, which became: ‘I really don’t care’.

“It was when those first advanced first aiders turned up, from that point onwards, I always felt like I had a chance. But initially, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.”

The first part of the mission involved pulling him through the narrower passages to get him to a larger area where he could be put in a tent to keep him warm.

Rescue volunteers came to his aid from all over the country and Mr Linnane said he remembered seeing familiar faces from the Forest of Dean Mendips and Yorkshire.

Strapped to a stretcher, Linnane was pulled out of the cave with rescuers forming a line and passing him along.

The process took more than two days with the operation having to pause regularly to treat the injured man or change teams.

George Linnane said he had an “overwhelming sense of relief” when they finally got to the exit.

He emerged in the dark of the third night, with hundreds of cavers on the site and the press, and he was rushed down the hill to a waiting ambulance which took him to hospital.

Now, he says he is thankful for the “tight-knit bond between cavers” and wants to give back by becoming a rescuer himself.

George Linnane, despite the experience, stated: “Caving is a very safe sport, generally speaking, for people that know what they’re doing. It’s as safe as crossing a road.

“But things do happen occasionally. And when they do, there is only one team of people, one type of person that is going to get you out of there.

 “I’m a caver and I’m a diver. It’s what I do and what makes me happy. And I know that whilst something bad did happen to me, the chances of it happening again is very, very low.”

Source: BBC News