Dog rescued from 50m deep mining hole near St Ives

A pet dog has been successfully rescued 26 hours after falling down a 50m (164ft) mining hole.

Suka the terrier went missing on Sunday afternoon during a walk at Cripplesease near St Ives.

Volunteer mine explorers and recovery experts the Carbis Bay Crew brought her up unharmed on Monday afternoon.

Owner Ben Weston said he and his partner Tasja Leibing were "over the moon" and described the rescuers as "heroes".

The couple had searched into the night and returned on Monday morning, when they heard whimper coming from below ground.

"We didn't know what sort of state she would be in but we were imagining the worst because she was only whimpering," Mr Weston told BBC Radio Cornwall.

Following advice from local lost dog groups, they made contact with the Carbis Bay Crew, who came along to help.

They are a group of volunteer climbers, divers, cavers and mine explorers who help recover animals and objects from hard to reach places in Cornwall.

Mr Weston said: "They are very good at what they do, experts in different fields, and one of them is even a veterinary nurse so they had all bases covered.

"They worked their magic and went down the hole, and came up with an absolutely unharmed dog."

Suka was "a bit stunned" at first but is now resting at home, having been rewarded with a "very large bone", Mr Weston said.

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