On Saturday, November 6, 2021, experienced caver George Linnane set out on what was to be a five-hour caving expedition with his two friends, Melissa Bell and Mark Burkey. They were exploring Ogof Ffynnon Ddu, Britain’s deepest cave and the largest caving system in Wales, when disaster struck. A rock collapse caused George to fall eight metres leaving him with multiple life-threatening injuries. A new documentary, set to air on BBC One Wales on Monday, July 18, details the complicated rescue mission to save George's life.
In dramatic scenes, the documentary sees a group of cavers form a "human-chain" in a bid to get George to safety. Railway engineer George details how he had been intensely caving for five years. He says: “I feel incredibly lucky to be alive. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to walk. Maybe I’m a stubborn git who just won’t die.” He describes the reason he caves as “seeing things no-one else will see on the planet".
Upon entering the cave through a series of tight tubes, George, Melissa and Mark spent around 20 minutes crawling through Ogof Ffynnon Ddu. They then entered a larger area, called Big Shacks, which gave them the opportunity to explore multiple routes around the cave.
