He Plunged Into Ravine, Then Broke Open the Wine

A 77-year-old cyclist in France survived three days at the bottom of a 130-foot ravine by drinking bottles of red wine he'd just purchased, according to local police. The man was riding home from a supermarket through the remote Cevennes region when he failed to properly navigate a curve and tumbled down the rocky slope near Saint-Julien-des-Points, reports CBS News. Stuck at the bottom, he repeatedly shouted for help whenever a vehicle drove by on the road above, but nobody initially heard him.

Rescuers said the man relied on the wine in his shopping bag to stay hydrated as the hours stretched into days. He eventually caught the attention of road workers, who heard his cries and spotted his mangled bicycle. A rescue team airlifted him to a hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and mild hypothermia, per Entrevue.

Rescue doctor Laurent Savath described the ordeal as "a miracle ... given the cold and the rain, with almost nothing to eat or drink" apart from the wine, per CBS. "He is really tough," Savath said, noting that the cyclist fell into a stream several times during failed attempts to climb out, increasing his risk of hypothermia. It looks like the man is expected to recover.