UpdateFive people who were trapped for two days in a well-known Slovenian cave were rescued on Monday. Sandi Curk, the head of civil protection, said this in Slovenian media. They had been stuck in the flooded Krizna Cave (Krizna Jama) since Saturday.
None of the rescued people – three adult tourists and two guides – required medical attention, Curk said. Rescuers had to wait until the water level dropped to take the hikers out of the cave by boat.
The tourists waited in the cave for rescuers in a heated tent on a ledge ten meters above water level, 2.4 kilometers from the exit. The place was specially provided for such emergencies in the cave. Professional divers from the emergency services have reached the trapped people twice since Saturday and provided them with food, medicine, warm clothing and torches.
The eight-kilometer-long water cave Krizna Jama, as the crow flies, about 30 kilometers south of the capital Ljubljana, attracts many tourists with its 45 emerald green underground lakes. The cave can only be visited by appointment and accompanied by a guide. The three tourists, a family, and two guides were on a boat tour of the cave when the water level rose sharply due to heavy rain.
“For dinner at home”
On Sunday evening the water level in the cave decreased somewhat. The evacuation started on Monday around 2 p.m., ‘STA’ previously reported. According to the daily newspaper ‘Delo’, the rescuers assumed in advance that they would be outside around 4 p.m. “We expect them to be home by dinner today,” Sandi Curk told the newspaper.
Slovenia is known for its caves. The Central European country has more than 14,000 mapped caves.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss anything from the stars.