Mexican army soldiers successfully rescued a miner who had been trapped for two weeks in a flooded underground tunnel after a dike collapsed at a gold mine in the northern state of Sinaloa, Mexico.

The miner, 42-year-old Francisco Zapata Nájera, was found at a depth of approximately 300 meters. At the time of the accident, 25 workers were inside the mine; 21 managed to escape, while four remained trapped.

One of the trapped workers, José Alejandro Cástulo, was rescued after five days underground, while another miner died. Rescuers spent more than 300 hours searching and took 13 days to locate Zapata.

According to released video footage, Zapata was standing in waist-deep water when rescuers reached him. He communicated with them and said he had never lost faith during the ordeal. Divers were able to find him after noticing the light from his torch, which he had been repeatedly switching on to signal his location.

“How are you?” rescuers asked as they approached, explaining that his flashlight had helped guide them. “It guided us,” one diver said. Zapata replied, “I didn’t lose my faith.”

Although the moment brought relief, the rescue could not be completed immediately due to flooding in the tunnel. Rescuers left him with water, canned tuna, and energy bars, assuring him they would return.

After about 20 more hours, during which pumps were used to lower the water level, Zapata was finally brought to the surface. On Holy Wednesday, he emerged from the mine wrapped in a thermal blanket and was transported by helicopter to a hospital, where he was reunited with his family.

Doctors said he was weak but in stable condition and would receive the necessary treatment.

Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, congratulated the military on the operation, describing the rescue as “impressive” and noting that the miner’s faith and resilience played a key role in its success.