Meteor Crater, 35 miles east of Flagstaff off Interstate 40. The 570-foot-deep, mile-wide crater was formed 49,000 years ago by a meteorite weighing millions of tons.
Meteor Crater
The Arizona Republic-12 New Breaking News TeamFri Jan 11, 2013 12:59 PM
Rescuers pulled a 28-year-old California man from a mine shaft in the bottom of Meteor Crater Friday morning after he was seen trespassing in the crater Thursday afternoon.
An employee at Meteor Crater was watching Parminder Singh with binoculars when Singh jumped into the mine shaft. The shaft is more than 100 feet deep, authorities said.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office responded to a phone call from the employee saying that a man was at the bottom of the crater. While tourists can walk around the edge of part of the crater, the crater itself is off-limits.
The resue operation lasted more than eight hours. More than 30 people worked in below-freezing temperatures to save the man.
Rescuers cut through a seven-foot tall fence topped with barbed wire to access the opening of the mine shaft.
Food, water, a radio, warm clothing and a flashlight were lowered to Singh. Singh radioed that he believed he had a broken arm and leg.
A member of the Flagstaff Fire Department Technical Rescue Team was lowered into the mine shaft to assess Singh and lift him out.
Helicopters were used Thursday night to insert rescuers into the crater, but windy conditions Friday morning prevented the responders from flying Singh out.
Rescuers carried Singh out of the crater on foot. The hike out consisted of a 600-foot incline and a mile-long walk to the visitor center parking lot. The hike took more than two hours.
Singh suffered from severe hypothermia, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He is at the Flagstaff Medical Center in stable condition.
In an interview with deputies, Singh said he jumped in to “appease the gods.”
An employee at Meteor Crater was watching Parminder Singh with binoculars when Singh jumped into the mine shaft. The shaft is more than 100 feet deep, authorities said.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office responded to a phone call from the employee saying that a man was at the bottom of the crater. While tourists can walk around the edge of part of the crater, the crater itself is off-limits.
The resue operation lasted more than eight hours. More than 30 people worked in below-freezing temperatures to save the man.
Rescuers cut through a seven-foot tall fence topped with barbed wire to access the opening of the mine shaft.
Food, water, a radio, warm clothing and a flashlight were lowered to Singh. Singh radioed that he believed he had a broken arm and leg.
A member of the Flagstaff Fire Department Technical Rescue Team was lowered into the mine shaft to assess Singh and lift him out.
Helicopters were used Thursday night to insert rescuers into the crater, but windy conditions Friday morning prevented the responders from flying Singh out.
Rescuers carried Singh out of the crater on foot. The hike out consisted of a 600-foot incline and a mile-long walk to the visitor center parking lot. The hike took more than two hours.
Singh suffered from severe hypothermia, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He is at the Flagstaff Medical Center in stable condition.
In an interview with deputies, Singh said he jumped in to “appease the gods.”
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