MEXICO: Divers say they've found the world's longest underground river
- 00:00:11
- ITN Source
MEXICO: Divers say they've found the world's longest underground river
Cave divers in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula have discovered what may be the world's longest underground river, connecting two cave systems with a waterway at least 95 miles (153 kilometers) long. A group of foreign divers exploring the area near the Caribbean beach resort of Playa del Carmen have yet to name the stretch, but believe it could be connected to two other major systems, adding more than 125 miles to its length. "We work fairly closely with a number of different scientists of various disciplines-- biologists, hydrologists, biochemists-- and we also work very closely with some of the national institutions such as INAH (Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History) to try and raise awareness about the cave systems here, to try and make sure everyone understands how important they are and how fragile they are and that they do need conservation and protection," said diver Steve Bogaerts, who helped find the underground river. Prior to the discovery, the Palawan underground river in the Philippines and Vietnam's Son Trach River vied for the record as the world's longest. The area in southeast Mexico is home to tourist resorts Cancun and Cozumel, as well as Mayan ruins Chichen Itza and Tulum. It sits on a Swiss-cheese subsoil of limestone dotted with deep wells that are entrances to tunnels that have fascinated divers for decades. The local tourism board said 24,000 visitors went diving in the caves last year.
ITN Source | March 17, 2007
