Teenager rescued from 50ft deep abandoned mine shaft after climbing rope broke

19 Feb 2025 • 8:18 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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A 16-year-old boy was rescued after his climbing rope broke while exploring a 50-foot-deep vertical mine shaft in California.

The Placer County Fire Department’s rescue team arrived at the scene on Monday, 17 February, after the victim and his friends entered a horizontal mine shaft on the side of a mountain using household ropes.

While attempting to climb out, the rope broke, causing the teenager to fall about 30 feet back to the bottom, and trapping him in a vertical shaft roughly 50 feet deep.

Rescuers safely extracted the victim, who was then transported to a local trauma center for treatment.