Man rescued from San Diego hole amid stormy weather
Storms and tides complicated efforts to free the man, who officials said may have been stuck for as long as three days, according to reports.
Man rescued after spending days stuck inside San Diego cliffside crevasse
An incredible story of survival has emerged from California this week. A man was trapped, possibly for days, after falling into a cliffside crevasse. Rescue crews had to deal with treacherous conditions due to both the location and weather. San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Aide Barbat, joins FOX Weather to discuss the rescue further.
SAN DIEGO – Stormy weather in San Diego complicated efforts to rescue a man officials said was stuck in a cliffside hole for as long as three days.
According to a report by KSWB, officials said that the man may have been tunneling in the area to create a shelter for himself when he fell.
Officials said rescuers answered a 911 call Thursday after someone heard the man yelling for help. They arrived to find him being crushed by rocks and debris from the waist down.
Man rescued from cliffside hole in San Diego
Stormy weather complicated efforts to rescue a man who had fallen into a hole in San Diego. (Video courtesy: KSWB)
"As he slid down through that hole – about 15-20 feet – all that compressed around him and, of course, when someone is trying to climb out, everything starts coming again, and it just totally compressed everything in on his body, and the rock moved in around it too," a spokesperson for San Diego Fire-Rescue told KSWB.
FLASH FLOODING WREAKS HAVOC ON LOS ANGELES AREA AS POWERFUL STORM SLAMS INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
![A man is lifted to stable ground after being rescued from a hole on the side of a cliff in San Diego, California, on Dec. 22, 2023.]()
Image 1 of 5A man is lifted to stable ground after being rescued from a hole on the side of a cliff in San Diego, California, on Dec. 22, 2023. (KSWB)
![A man is lifted to stable ground after being rescued from a hole on the side of a cliff in San Diego, California, on Dec. 22, 2023.]()
Image 2 of 5A man is lifted to stable ground after being rescued from a hole on the side of a cliff in San Diego, California, on Dec. 22, 2023. (KSWB)
![Crews work to rescue a man after he fell into a hole on the side of a cliff in San Diego, California, on Dec. 22, 2023.]()
Image 3 of 5Crews work to rescue a man after he fell into a hole on the side of a cliff in San Diego, California, on Dec. 22, 2023. (KSWB)
![Crews work to rescue a man after he fell into a hole on the side of a cliff in San Diego, California, on Dec. 22, 2023.]()
Image 4 of 5Crews work to rescue a man after he fell into a hole on the side of a cliff in San Diego, California, on Dec. 22, 2023. (KSWB)
![Crews work to rescue a man after he fell into a hole on the side of a cliff in San Diego, California, on Dec. 22, 2023.]()
Image 5 of 5Crews work to rescue a man after he fell into a hole on the side of a cliff in San Diego, California, on Dec. 22, 2023. (KSWB)
Medics were lowered into the hole headfirst to give the man fluids through an IV while crews worked to dig him out, officials said.
According to KSWB, the storm that has pounded Southern California the past two days, combined with high tide, delayed efforts to free the man.
Officials said the man was listed in stable condition.