A rescue mission to bring a trapped caver to safety has ended in success

The unnamed man, who is believed to be an experienced caver in his mid 40s became trapped in the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system near Penwyllt, after falling from a ledge on Saturday

Around 260 rescuers from all over the UK have been involved in the 54 hour rescue mission which ended at around 7.45 tonight when he was finally brought to the surface and taken to hospital. It’s understood that although in good spirits and talking to rescuers, he has suffered spinal injuries, a broken jaw, and a broken leg.

The rescue mission was co-ordinated by South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team with help from at least eight rescue teams from across the UK including the Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group, Midlands Cave Rescue Organisation, Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation, Mendip Cave Rescue, South East Cave Rescue Organisation, the Cave Rescue Organisation, and Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association.

Mountain Rescue was also on site to assist the rescue effort as well as several ambulances and a HART team, a specialist group of paramedics trained to deal with large-scale incidents.

At their deepest the caves are some 300m deep, making them the deepest in the UK, while they stretch for more than 30 miles making them the third-longest cave system in the UK. They can only be accessed by permission of the South Wales Caving Club