A 29-year-old Texas man was perilously trapped in an underground septic tank, his desperate cries echoing from beneath the ground, when a vigilant deputy discovered him during a routine wellness check.
According to reports from the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, the call for assistance was made shortly after 9 a.m. on a fateful Friday morning on the 7300 block of N. Terry Road in Edinburg. Family members had reported the man missing when he failed to arrive for his scheduled day care, having last been seen the previous evening around 9 p.m.
As the deputy painstakingly searched the property calling out the missing man’s name, he suddenly heard a faint, yet urgent, voice emanating from the depths of the earth. "Help me!" echoed from beneath, leading the deputy to the grim realization that the man was trapped within a septic tank, ensnared under a tire.
In response to this alarming discovery, the Edinburg Fire Department was swiftly summoned to the scene for a rescue operation. Firefighters faced the daunting task of cutting through concrete to access the unfortunate individual, who had unwittingly fallen through a small opening into the septic tank.
With substantial efforts, the rescue team utilized specialized equipment to safely extricate the man from his foul confinement. Regrettably, photographs from the scene reveal a grim reality, depicting first responders encircling a mere cavity in the ground while the victim remained submerged up to his neck in waste.
Ultimately, the man was transported to the hospital where he was reported to be in stable condition, though the ongoing investigation seeks to uncover the exact circumstances surrounding this harrowing incident.
As the sheriff’s office continues to investigate, questions linger regarding how long the man had been trapped in the tank and the precise events that led to his horrific fall.
