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| Free ... after nine days underground |
Military divers have finally rescued six Brits trapped underground in a flooded Mexican cave for more than a week.
Rescuers worked through the night to pull out the cavers who were underground for nine days.
The group, who lived on pasta and instant chocolate cake cooked on a camping stove, were taken for check-ups.
The six were named as Jonathan Sims, Charles Milton, Simon Cornhill, Chris Mitchell, Toby Hamnett and John Roe.
Rescued Mr Sims, said the team was never in danger and would have preferred to just wait underground for the water to recede so that they could walk out without assistance.
"Everything went as planned," he said.
"We thought we might have a problem with the (water) so we put in a plan, we had food in there, communications."
Each explorer was given sandwiches and fruit drinks after being rescued and all were reported to be in good health.
They joked that they wanted beer and said they were looking forward to seeing their loved ones.
Controversy ... cavers face questions
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| Controversy ... cavers face questions |
Four of the men are servicemen and Mexico is demanding to know why they were not told they were training in their country.
On Wednesday, President Vicente Fox announced that his government was sending "a protest and a demand for clarification from the English government. Why were those people there?"
After the medical examination it was expected that the six, along with another six members of the expedition would be taken to a Mexico City immigration detention centre.
Assistant Interior Secretary Armando Salinas said Mexican law provided for the expulsion or jailing of those who violated the terms of their travel visas.
The Foreign Office said the trip was "strictly a caving expedition, had no other purpose and any suggestions to the contrary are completely unfounded."
Source: The Sun