Latest update:April 13, 2026, 2:55 PM IST

In a feat of human endurance that astounded the world, a trapped miner has been pulled from the depths after surviving for 14 days in complete darkness.

Trapped 300 meters underground, miner survives without food and water for two weeks before being rescued | video

A gold miner in Mexico has been rescued alive after being trapped deep underground for nearly two weeks. The accident occurred after part of a mine collapsed and flooded the area with water, leaving many workers stranded.

As the BBC reported, one miner, Francisco Zapata Najera, survived harsh conditions nearly 300 meters below the surface. His rescue attracted attention because of the long search and the way he managed to remain optimistic during the ordeal.

A miner is trapped after a mine collapse

Francisco Zapata Najera, 42, was trapped about 300 meters underground after a dam collapsed at a gold mine in Sinaloa, northern Mexico. The accident occurred on March 25 when a tailings dam, containing mining waste, burst, flooding parts of the mine.

At the time, 25 workers were inside. While 21 people managed to escape, four remained trapped underground.

Rescue teams began searching immediately. A miner, José Alejandro Castolo, was found five days later. Sadly, another miner lost his life. But Zapata was missing for about two weeks.

After more than 300 hours of searching, rescuers finally spotted a small flashing light. It was coming from Zapata’s torch, which he turned on and off to help them find him.

The rescue team finally reached him

When divers reached him, he was standing in waist-deep water inside the flooded tunnel. Despite the difficult circumstances, he was alive and able to speak. “How are you, how are you?” He asked the rescuers when they reached him, according to the BBC.

Once they were sure of their identity, they said to him: “Your lamp has helped us a lot.” “He guided us,” one divers added. “I haven’t lost faith, I haven’t lost faith,” Zapata told rescuers, according to the BBC.

Even after finding him, the team could not get him out immediately because the tunnel was still filled with water. They left him drinking water, cans of tuna, and energy bars, promising to return soon.

Over the next 20 hours, rescue teams used pumps to lower the water level. Only after that can they get it out safely.

Later, Zapata was taken out of the mine, wrapped in a thermal blanket and placed on an electric cart. He was then taken by helicopter to the hospital where he was reunited with his family. Doctors said he was weak but stable and would receive treatment.

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