Missing diver rescued from cave in China after 5 days, survived in underwater air pocket, ate raw fish

A diver in Hunan, China was found by a police rescue team on Jul. 24 after miraculously surviving for five days in water.

The man, surnamed Wang, had reportedly gone missing during a river dive with a friend in Yongshun county in Xiangxi, Hunan province on Jul. 20.

Despite running out of compressed air in his diving cylinder, Wang survived by staying in an air pocket in the cave and eating raw fish until rescuers found him, Chinese media reported.

Went missing during river dive

Wang's family said he was equipped with a cylinder of air when he entered the river, which was more than 10m deep, according to Xiaoxiang Morning Herald.

However, Wang's friend lost contact with him at around 3am on Jul. 20.

Police subsequently conducted a search operation for Wang.

They also sought assistance from the Xiangxi Shuguang rescue team, as well as special police forces from the city of Baise, in China's Guangxi region, South China Morning Post reported.

A cave diving team from the Baise unit conducted dives to search for Wang, and a breakthrough was eventually made on Jul. 24.

Rescued after five days underwater

While descending, rescuers heard a knocking sound on the rocks, and after a search, managed to locate Wang.

He had taken refuge in a hollow section of the cave, which was located approximately 9m underwater and 100m towards the mountain's interior.

Initially, Wang had gotten lost while diving and was stranded in the cave as he was low on air, CCTV reported.

The rescue team leader told Xiaoxiang Morning Herald that Wang had lost track of time in the cave, and survived by eating raw fish.

On Jul. 24, Wang saw rescuers swim past him to deeper parts of the cave, despite making a knocking sound as they approached.

Later, as they were resurfacing, Wang managed to attract their attention by jumping into the water and waving a flashlight.

He only had 4 per cent of air supply left at this point.

The team leader said Wang was in good spirits when he was rescued.

He was reportedly able to walk to the ambulance without the aid of a stretcher.

According to SCMP, Wang's first words to his rescuers were, “Do you have a cigarette?”

Top image from Weibo