Thai monk rescued after being trapped for 4 days in flooded cave

A Thai monk who spent four days trapped in a flooded cave was rescued Wednesday.

Phra Ajarn Manas, a 46-year-old Buddhist monk, entered the cave Saturday to meditate, Reuters reported. He was making a pilgrimage and stopped at the cave in Phitsanulok.

An unexpected rainstorm flooded the northern Thailand cave, about 200 miles north of Bangkok, leaving Manas stranded inside, according to Reuters. Residents alerted a local rescue unit to his peril Tuesday.

But the rain continued to fall, preventing rescuers from getting to Manas. A follow-up attempt succeeded Wednesday, and rescuers reached Manas at 11:30 a.m. local time.

Seventeen divers were part of the operation, according to Reuters.

A flooded Thai cave made international headlines in 2018 when a boys soccer team and their coach were trapped for 17 days before being rescued. One Thai Navy SEAL died while trying to save the kids.