April 27, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 20, 1429

ALLENTOWN (Pennsylvania), April 26: A man survived a 150-meter fall into an abandoned strip mine on Friday, astounding rescuers who spent hours on a risky descent into the abyss to bring him back out.

Police said Nathan Bowman was trespassing on coal company property around 1am on Friday when he slipped and fell into the Springdale Pit, an abandoned mine about 200 meters deep, 900 meters long and 450 meters wide.

Bowman tumbled down a jagged slope and then free-fell, his descent broken by a rock ledge not far from the bottom of the pit, said Coaldale Police Chief Timothy Delaney, who helped direct the rescue effort.

“If you look at that drop, there was no way somebody could survive that,” Delaney said.

Bowman, 23, was in serious condition on Friday night at an area hospital. The extent and nature of his injuries was not clear, although rescuer John Fowler said it appeared he suffered a number of fractures.

Bowman and a friend were walking around the pit when he went over the side. The friend called emergency dispatchers, and Coaldale police and firefighters began a frantic search, according to Delaney.—AP