LIMA, Peru (AP) — Rescuers in Peru are trying to save an injured Spanish speleologist who has been trapped for seven days about 400 meters (1,300 feet) underground in a cave in the country’s remote Amazon region.
Cecilio Lopez was hurt when he fell 5 meters (16 feet) inside the Inti Machay cave in a remote ravine in Leimebamba district, 605 kilometers (376 miles) northeast of the capital, Lima.
Rescue coordinator James Apaestegui said Thursday that a doctor had reached Lopez and found the cave explorer had two damaged lumbar vertebrae that limit his movement.
Apaestegui says that “Lopez is lying face up. He can move laterally but he cannot stand up.”
Rescuers say they have been getting food and water to Lopez. Among the rescuers are 33 foreign spelunkers, including 13 Spaniards and 10 Mexicans.
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