A man who got trapped in a narrow hole after slipping and falling in the Sunset Cliffs area of San Diego County, California was freed Friday after a rescue mission that took over 15 hours.
The man, who was not identified, was spotted Thursday afternoon, but it is unclear how long he had been trapped. He told officials with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department he had been stranded under broken concrete sections of the side of a cliff near the water for days calling for help.
The department said he was trapped from the waist down and the opening was only 18 inches.
At one point during the “very treacherous” mission, rescue teams had to stop because of the tide coming in.
The location of this rescue is very treacherous for rescuers as well as the patient. The opening is only 18" and the space below is small as well. Very challenging effort by rescuers. #cliffrescue pic.twitter.com/UANoI3MUrx
— SDFD (@SDFD) December 22, 2023
They said the man was provided with shelter, electrolytes, hot packs and blankets until they were able to resume efforts in the morning.
The man was finally freed just before 11 a.m. on Friday, officials said. He was reportedly in good condition before being taken to a local hospital for further evaluation, according to Scripps News San Diego.
Crews from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and the Chula Vista Fire Department assisted with the rescue.
