A marathon rescue operation to recover an injured man from Germany's deepest cave is about to enter its final stage, officials have said.
The rescuer operation, which involves more than 200 people, is bringing 52-year old Johann Westhauser to the surface have reached the final base station around 400m below the surface and will soon start the final push.
The final stage of the rescue will involve traversing a vertical stretch of cave with running water.
Westhauser sustained serious injuries during a rockfall on June 8 deep inside the 1,000m-deep (3,280ft) Riesending cave.
Westhauser was descending the cave in the Bavarian Alps with two companions when the accident occurred. One climber remained with the injured man, while another made the 12-hour climb to the surface to seek help.
