Firefighters Rescue Man, 57, Who Fell Into Urban Cenote in Cancún’s Supermanzana 100

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Firefighters and Civil Protection personnel rescued a 57-year-old man who spent about six hours trapped inside an urban cenote off Avenida Puerto Juárez, known locally as Avenida Talleres, near Supermanzana 100.

The man, who identified himself as Renán “N,” nicknamed “El Manitas,” told crews he fell into the opening at around 3 p.m. Sunday. A neighbor walking past the lot heard his cries for help at about 8 p.m. and alerted the authorities, setting off the rescue operation.

Initial reports indicated the man may have been intoxicated when he slipped and fell into a hole connected to the cenote, a well-known feature in that part of the city. Crews used ropes to reach him.

Man clung to roots to stay above the water

After several maneuvers, firefighters pulled him out of the water, which sits about three meters below ground level. Red Cross paramedics evaluated him at the scene inside an ambulance.

Renán said he had crossed the lot as a shortcut. The ropes that normally serve as a railing to mark the danger zone were not in place, he said, and he fell through one of the openings. He said no one heard his calls for help earlier because few people passed through the area during the afternoon and evening.

He also said he climbed onto a rock wall and held on to roots to keep himself out of the water after he saw a snake pass by, a moment he described as frightening.

The rescue wrapped up at around 9:30 p.m. Paramedics said he did not need to be taken to a hospital, and he got out of the ambulance and walked home.