Five people were trapped in a cave in central Slovenia on Saturday after heavy rains caused flooding, rescuers said.
The family of three adults, accompanied by two guides, started a hiking trip on Saturday morning to the Krizna Jama (Cross Cave) cave, located 50 kilometres south of the capital Ljubljana.
Heavy rain caused the water level in the cave, known for its emerald-green underground lakes, to rise sharply, leaving the hiking group trapped on a dry platform.
A rescue operation was launched after they failed to surface at the scheduled time. Cave divers discovered them late Saturday night 2km from the entrance to the 8km-long cave. Civil protection authoritie said, adding that rescue teams had delivered them overnight a tent, warm clothes, food and medicines:
“All five are in stable condition.”
The head of the cave rescue team, Walter Zakrajsek, said:
“If the water level drops, the rescue could be carried out swiftly.”
He added that if the cave tunnels remained flooded, teams of cave divers would be making the three-hour trip to resupply them every 12 hours.
Authorities said 35 cave rescuers and eight divers from across Slovenia were involved in the rescue operation, assisted by 11 firefighters and members of the civil defence forces.
Slovenia is known for its more than 14,000 caves, some of which can be visited by large groups of tourists travelling on underground trains. Others, such as Krizna cave, can only be visited by small groups travelling by boat. Krizna Jama is the fourth most biodiverse cave ecosystem in the world.
