A Spanish man was finally rescued on Tuesday after spending 12 days trapped in a cave in Peru’s remote Amazon region.

Cecilio Lopez Tercero was trapped 400 metres below the surface after falling and injuring his back.

An international rescue team of more than a hundred volunteers took part in the operation. Several colleagues of the rescued man had reportedly travelled from Spain to take part.

It was an emotional moment for the team, who celebrated after Lopez was brought to the surface.

He was transferred from the mountain to a nearby military base where an initial medical assessment took place, and then flown on to the Peruvian capital Lima for further treatment.

The specialist cave explorer, who had many years experience, had been mapping the underground caverns in the remote Chapapoyas region when the accident took place.