British tourist stuck in mountain hole in Vietnam for hours now safe

By Giang Chinh January 5, 2018 | 12:44 am PT

Stephen James McAuley (3rd, L) with his family and rescuers in Hai Phong. Photo courtesy of Hai Phong's border guards

The 49-year-old slipped into a mountain hole at sea and was stuck there for six hours until border guards came to his rescue.

Border guards in Hai Phong in northern Vietnam rescued a British tourist on Friday after he got stuck in a mountain hole in the middle of the ocean for six hours.

Stephen James McAuley, 49, and his family visited Cat Dua Island in Hai Phong on Thursday afternoon and the incident happened later that evening, the border guards said.

He was exploring the island while his wife and daughter went kayaking, and slipped into a hole by a mountain cliff. He was screaming for help but the spot was too far from houses and there were no boats in sight.

A photo Hai Phong border guards took of Stephen James McAuley as he was stuck in a mountain hole.

After his family came back at 5 p.m., they could not find him so they asked a local tourism management agency to help.

They called the border guards, who sent around 10 people to look for him. They found him hanging in the hole at around midnight and spent one hour bringing him to safety.

The man is in stable condition now.