The man who injured himself and got stuck in a Brecon Beacons cave for two days is named George Linnane, Sky News can reveal.
Mr Linnane is said to be doing “remarkably well” in hospital after being rescued from Ogof Ffynnon Ddu on Monday night.
The caver in his 40s got trapped on Saturday at around 1pm after suffering a fall. His injuries are believed to include a broken jaw, leg, and spinal injuries.
The operation to extricate him is believed to have been the longest stretcher carry in British cave rescue history.
More than 240 people – and at least eight cave rescue teams – were involved.
Gary Evans, the emergency services liaison officer, said following the rescue: “The casualty is doing remarkably well if you consider how long he’s been in the cave, how long he’s been in a stretcher- he’s doing very well indeed.”
He said teams were “absolutely delighted” with how the rescue had gone, adding: “We’re delighted because it was a difficult rescue and we’re delighted because the casualty has done really well considering what’s happened.”
The rescue team added: “The extraction of an injured caver from such a complex cave system creates many challenges including negotiating small tunnels, climbs, rivers and continuously uneven ground.”
Steve Thomas, a caver involved in the rescue, told Sky News: “It was a very long rescue. It was quite cold, but we were highly motivated and we were honoured to have rescue teams from across the UK join us and work with us seamlessly.
“It was the best cave rescue I’ve been involved in.”