The well entrance. Photo: Paul Spiteri Lucas

A middle-aged man who was trapped in a well for 21 hours ­– neck-deep in cold water – owes his life to one of his two dogs whose protective instinct attracted the attention of a passer-by in Pembroke.

Natale Fenech, 66, from Sliema, was taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia after being rescued from the well, close to the reverse osmosis plant. He had been trapped there since Friday afternoon.

The incident happened shortly before sunset at about 5pm when Mr Fenech tried to rescue one his dogs after it had plunged into the concealed well while chasing a cat.

Though the water was deep, the man managed to keep his head above water by standing on a rock in a corner of the well.

He held his dog in his hands, but his pleas for help were in vain as it turned dark, and the well was some distance away from the road or any inhabited area.

At that point his best hope was that someone would spot his other dog waiting anxiously next to the well for his master to emerge.

Hero and villain: the dog on a blue leash which dragged its master into trouble, next to the hero who was instrumental in their discovery. Photo: Paul Spiteri Lucas

He struck lucky yesterday at around 2pm, when a man who happened to be walking in the area decided to investigate after seeing a dog on a leash barking next to the well. Noticing a man was trapped, he tried to pull Mr Fenech out with a rope. But when his attempt failed, he called the Civil Protection Department. The man was saved using a ladder which was eased down the well.

In his first reaction, a weak but conscious Mr Fenech was initially reluctant to go to hospital, appearing to be more concerned about the well-being of his two dogs than himself.

However, his mind was put at rest when he was told the dogs were safe and temporarily under the custody of the animal welfare unit.

‘Area littered with holes that were made by British forces’

He was then taken to Mater Dei Hospital where he is recovering from his ordeal.

Meanwhile, on the timesofmalta.com portal, a reader commented that some weeks before, a relative of his had alerted the Pembroke council that a hole in the ground leading to caves had been discovered not far from the site where this incident had occurred.

Contacted by this newspaper, Pembroke mayor Dean Hili said the council had taken immediate action and sealed off the hole in the ground, but insisted the incident happened at a different location.

The council will consider placing warning signs next to the road as a preventative measure

“Unfortunately the garigue area around Pembroke is littered with caves and wells which were probably excavated by the British military forces, but we have no record of their exact location,” Mr Hili said.

He also noted that this was a Natura 2000 site and so any intervention had to be carried out according to the stringent planning authority rules.

Nevertheless, he said the council would consider placing warning signs next to the road surrounding the area as a preventive measure.