Friday, January 23, 2026

Patient walks 7.5 km through sewage tunnel to escape psychiatric hospital

A Nuevo León psychiatric patient had an unenviable adventure this week when he attempted to escape from a hospital via a sewage tunnel.

Gerardo ‘N’ escaped from a hospital in the Topo Chico neighborhood of Monterrey on Wednesday by throwing himself into an open drainage channel. Despite a missing hand and several toes, Gerardo made it roughly 7.5 kilometers along the tunnel before a resident heard him shouting for help, the newspaper Milenio reported.

Mario Contreras heard someone calling outside his home, but when he looked out into the street, he didn’t see anyone.

“I was asleep near the window when I heard a voice shouting, ‘Help!’” Contreras said. “I woke up, but I thought it was from the house across from mine. Then my wife and I saw that it was coming from the sewer.”

With the help of neighbors, Contreras removed the concrete drain cover and was shocked to find a man standing in the stinking water below.

He asked for food, so a neighbor made him meat and potato tacos.

“He looked tired and hungry, really messed up,” she said.

Local news sources reported that Gerardo suffered from symptoms of sewer gas poisoning, and said he was taken to a hospital for medical revision.

With reports from Milenio

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Ryan Wedding in custody

Former Olympic snowboarder, wanted in US for trafficking, arrested in Mexico

1
Canadian Ryan Wedding lived a “colorful and flashy” lifestyle in Mexico for 10 years, while allegedly running a major cocaine trafficking business and sitting on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.
Mexican President Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney

Opinion: Mexico could lose out as Canada risks USMCA with bet on ‘new world order’

3
As Canada pushes back against the U.S., Mexico has the most to lose, writes Logan Gardner.
cold weather in the north

Winter weather alert: Cold, high winds and heavy rain coming to northern Mexico this weekend

0
The warnings for northern Mexico are connected to the potentially historic winter storm expected to hit the U.S. this weekend from the Texas Panhandle to the Northeastern Atlantic states.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity