What began as a trip to celebrate a birthday ended up becoming one of the strongest tragedies in Cuetzalan, in the central Mexican state of Puebla. And a family that visited the Chichicazapan grotto to enjoy a tourist tour was surprised by the sudden flooding of an underground river, leaving four people dead.

Almost a week after the accident, rescue teams located the fourth and last body that remained missing inside the cave. However, the difficult conditions of the place prevent the victims from being recovered at the moment.

A family celebration ended in tragedy

On the afternoon of July 7, four members of a family and two friends entered the Chichicazapan grotto, in the municipality of Cuetzalan, accompanied by a tour guide. According to the testimony of Araceli, mother of the family, and Agustín, partner of one of her daughters, the trip had a special reason: to celebrate the birthday of one of the young women.

After having breakfast in the center of Cuetzalan they decided to hire the tour, without imagining that the heavy rains recorded in the area would cause a sudden rise in the river that runs through the cave.

In a matter of minutes, the water level rose sharply and the current began to flood the interior of the cavern, leaving those making the journey practically without the possibility of escape.

The current separated the family inside the cave

During the attempt to leave, Ismael Peña, father of the family, and his daughters were dragged by the force of the water.

Agustín de los Santos managed to move towards the exit thanks to the help of his brother Gerardo, who helped him during the emergency. However, Gerardo did not manage to get out of the cave and was dragged by the force of the water current.

Meanwhile, Araceli and the tour guide managed to take shelter inside the grotto until they were located and rescued by the emergency services.

From that moment on, an extensive search operation began in which brigades from different municipalities, Civil Protection personnel, firefighters, volunteers and elements of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) participated.

The four victims have already been located

The Cuetzalan City Council confirmed on Saturday night that the fourth body that remained missing was found, so the whereabouts of all the victims of the accident are now known.

However, only one of the bodies has been recovered.

The authorities explained that the intense rains, the increase in the water level, the complexity of the terrain and the distance between the main entrance and the point where the bodies are located have prevented the rescue maneuvers from being completed.

Rescue is suspended again due to lack of conditions

Although it was initially expected that elements of the Secretariat of National Defense would resume work during the early hours of Sunday, sources consulted by Both Manos indicated that military personnel determined that there are currently no safe conditions to enter the grotto again.

According to this information, the maneuvers could resume until Tuesday, July 14, as long as the water level decreases, the victims are not displaced by the current and the weather forecast allows access for rescuers.

Cuetzalan suspends tourist tours in the caves

After the tragedy and given the rains that continue to affect the region, the Cuetzalan City Council decided to temporarily suspend all tourist activities in the municipality's caves.

The measure was announced by the Tourism Registry as a preventive action to protect visitors and service providers, while the authorities maintain the recovery operation for the victims and monitor weather conditions.

This tragedy has shocked the inhabitants of Cuetzalan, where a planned trip to celebrate a birthday ended up marked by a sudden flood that forever changed the life of a family.

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