Thai rescue workers freed a meditating Buddhist monk who was trapped in a flooded cave for four days.
The monk, identified by rescuers as 46-year-old Phra Ajarn Manas, was on a pilgrimage from another province and went to Phra Sai Ngam Cave in Phitsanulok on Saturday to meditate.
An off-season rainstorm struck Sunday and continued until Tuesday, flooding parts of the cave while it was inside, the local rescue unit said on its Facebook page.
Seventeen divers took part in the attempt to find and liberate the monk from the place, which was accessible only by divers. A video posted by rescuers shows the monk being equipped with a diving mask that allows a 12-foot pool to swim underwater.
The unit said locals told them the monk was still trapped in the cave on Tuesday afternoon. They went to look for him, but had to stop the operation after about an hour due to the water level. They were worried that he “may be exhausted or unconscious because he has no food at all”.
Photos on the unit’s Facebook page show the monk sitting inside the cave on Wednesday, surrounded by rescue workers and having his blood pressure taken. “At 11:30 we successfully rescued Phra Manas from the cave,” the unit said.
One of the rescue workers confirmed in a call that the monk was out of the cave and received first aid.
Thailand made headlines worldwide in 2018 with the sensational rescue of 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in northern Chiang Rai.