The Hart County Emergency Management told Fox affiliate WDRB-TV up to 21 people were originally stuck inside the Hidden River Cave located in Horse Cave, Ky., which is part of the American Cave Museum.
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The only light the trapped people had was from headlamps they wore, McDaniel said.
Parker says two local police officers who tried to rescue the tourists are among those still inside.
Officials said no one appears to be hurt.
More than 150 rescue workers had rushed to the scene to begin rescue operations.
The cavers, accompanied by a couple of experienced guides, were unaware of the rising waters threatening to block the cave’s entrance.
Rescue teams, including members of a dive squad, had reached the cave but had not yet ventured inside, HorseCave Fire Chief Donnie Parker said.
Hidden River Cave Director David Foster said, “When we went in, (the water) was about a foot deep, and when we came out it was waist deep”. They stayed in a portion of the cave with a higher ceiling “The Attic”. He said four people were able to escape but didn’t have details about how they got out. He didn’t have details about how they got out.
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McDaniel said there’s only one way in and out of the cave located in south-central Kentucky’s karst region, where many of state’s longest and deepest caves run underground. That’s when they met four individuals coming out.
