5 people rescued after being trapped in Slovenia cave for 55 hours
Five people, including three from the same family, were rescued Monday from a cave in southwestern Slovenia after spending 55 hours trapped by rising water in the subterranean labyrinth, officials said.
The successful rescue operation unfolded at the Krizna Jama cave when six highly experienced divers were able to extract the stranded party from the cave at about 3:05 p.m. local time, Sandi Curk, commander of the Regional Civil Protection Headquarters for the Notranjska Region, told ABC News.
All five people, including two parents and their adult child, emerged from the cave in good shape and without the need for medical treatment, Curk said.
Rescue efforts had been underway since Saturday morning when the three family members, all from Slovenia, and their two guides went missing during a tour of the cave's myriad lakes, officials said. The group became marooned when torrential rains caused water levels to rise in the cave, cutting off exit routes, officials said.
Curk said heavy rain in the area caused the cave's lakes to rise, stranding the tour group about 1 1/2 miles from the entrance to the cave.
Rescuers waited until the water level receded to extract the group, according to Curk.
On Saturday evening, rescue divers located the group and moved them to a safe area where they could set up heated tents, officials said.
Another team of divers on Sunday delivered food, drinking water and warm clothes to the marooned cave explorers, and checked on their psychological state, Curk told ABC News. A doctor, who is also a licensed diver, examined all five people and was satisfied with their condition, Curk said.
During the rescue, divers contended with low visibility inside the cave and near-freezing water temperatures, Curk said.
ABC News' Dada Javanovic contributed to this report.
