Caving enthusiast, 83, rescued after falling down shaft

AN 83-year-old man has been rescued after spending the night standing up in an underground shaft in remote Midlothian countryside following a fall.

• Mr Salvona is rescued by members of the Scottish Cave Rescue Organisation and Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue

Jim Salvona, from Edinburgh, fell down the six-metre shaft at Bilston Glen yesterday.

Mr Salvona, a caver with more than 30 years experience, was found at around 8.30am today by combined rescue teams.

He had slipped off a ladder he had taken with him when he set out on his walk to investigate the old stone-built shaft.

The pensioner was unable to sit down after hurting his back in the fall. Rescuers found him "in good spirits" and he was stretchered out of the underground location and taken to hospital around 10.30am.

Alan Jeffreys, from the Scottish Cave Rescue Organisation, said: "The shaft is about six metres deep and he had gone about halfway down, at least, before he slipped.

"He had hurt his back, which was the major problem as he was unable to sit down. He's been standing down there since around 3pm yesterday.

"Trying to put someone on a stretcher when they are standing up is a bit difficult, so it took some time to buckle him into the stretcher.

"After that, it was just a matter of muscle power to get him out of the shaft and up the slope, which was very slippery underfoot."

The rescue team used hauling lines to stretcher Mr Salvona to a waiting off-road vehicle, which then carried him along the narrow paths to an ambulance.

Mr Salvona's family knew he had an interest in the Bilston Glen area and the search was focused there after they reported him missing to police around 7pm on Tuesday.

The search involved police and ambulance services together with teams from the Scottish Cave Rescue Organisation, Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue as well as an RAF helicopter from Northumbria.

Inspector Gordon McCreadie, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "We're obviously pleased that there's been a successful outcome today.

"Despite this man being really experienced in caving, I think it serves to demonstrate how careful we have to be, particularly those who don't have his experience.

"The search continued throughout the night, which was a splendid effort to recover him.

"He was fairly upbeat, obviously very relieved, and I think quite appreciative of the help of everyone concerned."

Mr Salvona is a long-serving member of the Grampian Speleological Group and was well-known to some of the members of the rescue team.