NO WATER, NO WASHROOM; TIED HANDS AND FEET
The jeeps and helicopters brought in police, army personnel and medical teams to evacuate the stranded tourists. The 21 survivors were taken out of the cave one by one, with some being pulled out by ropes and others being carried out on stretchers, giddy and smiling.
As they emerged from the dark cave, they were given oxygen masks, hot tea and biscuits to calm their nerves. “We were scared, very scared,” said Roberto Rosales, a 32-year-old tourist from Mexico, his voice shaking. “We had no water, no washroom. We had to tie our hands and feet to the rock to sleep at night. We were so tired, but we didn’t give up.”
The group was on a trek through the mountains when they stumbled upon a hidden cave. They took shelter in the cave, waiting for rescue, but became trapped when the cave-in blocked the way out.
For four days, they huddled together, supporting each other, re-telling stories and sleeping in shifts. “We were all like a family in there,” said another survivor, Angelina, a 35-year-old from Mexico. “We prayed together, sang together, talked about our lives. We didn’t think about dying, we thought about living.”
