27 Apr, 2017 @ 16:26
1 min read

Trapped diver rescued from water-filled cave in Mallorca after 48-hour ordeal

diver rescue
RESCUE: Diver saved from water-filled cave

THIS is the moment a diver was rescued from a tiny water-filled cave after being trapped for 48 hours.

Xisco Gracia, 54, disappeared in the labyrinth in Mallorca and became trapped 120ft below water without food or water.

RESCUE: Diver saved from water-filled cave
RESCUE: Diver saved from water-filled cave

He was unable to scuba back to safety as his oxygen tank had malfunctioned.

The cavity he was found in was nearly 3,000 metres from the entrance of the Cova de sa Piqueta in Manacor.

He was treated by medics for half an hour as he adjusted to sunlight before he was taken to hospital.

He had managed to stay alive by drinking from a tiny puddle of fresh water.

Involving at least 60 people, the operation has been described as one of the most complicated seen on the island for many years.

“I was convinced he would still be alive,” said friend Guillem Mascaró. “There is only one Xisco.”
The labyrinth has around three kilometres of tunnels.

Gracia is expected to make a full recovery.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

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