Mexico expels group of British cavers

A team of British cavers has been expelled from Mexico following an unauthorised scientific expedition that led to the men being…

A team of British cavers has been expelled from Mexico following an unauthorised scientific expedition that led to the men being becoming trapped in underground caves.

The group of 13 cavers, several of whom were members of the British military, were put aboard a British Airways flight that left Mexico City for London around 9:00 p.m. local time.

They were thrown out of the country after entering Mexico on tourist visas and failing to properly advise immigration officials of the scientific nature of their trip, Mexican authorities said. No formal charges were filed.

The group's experience began on March 15th, when they set out to explore and map one of the world's biggest cave networks in the rainy mountain jungle about 200 miles northeast of Mexico City.

Days of unexpected rain unleashed a violent torrent of runoff water into the cave system, forcing six of the men to retreat to a prepared base camp where they had food and water supplies but were unable to come back above ground.

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They generated suspicion by waiting several days before advising Mexican authorities they were trapped, and a full-fledged diplomatic row erupted when Mexican President Vicente Fox demanded a "swift explanation" for why British troops were on his country's soil without permission.

Divers rescued the trapped men last week, but they were quickly detained by immigration authorities for questioning and not released until just hours before they caught the flight out on Monday.

Political analysts said Mexico's tough line may have been a retaliation after claims that Britain helped the United States spy on Mexico's UN mission in the run up to the Iraq war.