Fifteen cave explorers and two police officers were trapped Thursday afternoon in the Hidden River Cave in Horse Cave, Ky., due to flooding, according to various reports.
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The group of people inside the cave were with experienced guides who had a plan of action in case of rising water, McDaniel told WAVE-TV.
On Thursday morning, students from a Clemson University geology course embarked on a guided tour of the Hidden River Cave, which only has one way in and one way out.
Rescued cavers gather at a house next to Hidden River Cave after over a dozen people who exploring the cave were trapped by rising water Thursday, May 26, 2016, in Horse Cave, Ky. He says the tour groups have been in the cave for several hours.
A dive team and other rescue groups are at the scene.
“The waters were continuing to rise under the flash flood”, he added. Rescues were reported around 4:20 p.m. They had no cellphone service, and after heavy rains caused water to rush into the cave, two police officers entered to help get the group out; they also became stranded. The students from Clemson University in SC were exploring the cave when torrential rains hit the region, he said. They were met by the four people who had managed to escape. Some people had traveled inside the cave as far as four miles.
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“We looked at this from the beginning and hoped it was a search rather than a recovery operation”, McDaniel said.
