Five men exploring a cave in southwest Virginia are stuck, and emergency crews are attempting to rescue them.
Six men entered Cyclops Cave on Friday around 7 p.m. and planned to stay until Sunday, according to CNN. The cave has a bubble-like formation, the eye of the Cyclops, in which the men were planning to camp, the county’s emergency management coordinator said. They are not lost, but they do not have extra food or water.
A heavy rainfall Saturday trapped five of the men in the cave, CNN reported. One of the six men escaped around 2 a.m. Sunday and told authorities about the plight of the others. (RELATED: Homeless Va. Man Arrested After Digging, Living In Cave In City Park)
The entrapped men are between the ages of 34 and 59, and the man who escaped was 22, Russell County EMA Director Jess Powers told CNN. American Red Cross from Bristol, Cleveland Life Saving Crew, Lebanon Fire Department and Cleveland Fire Department are at the scene to assist in the rescue.
A rescue mission is underway for five men trapped in a cave in Virginiahttps://t.co/I1ajtOLV0b pic.twitter.com/FvyBZCLuNv
— CNN (@CNN) April 28, 2019
The cave is located on private property, and owner Frankie Smith told News Channel 11 the men did not have permission to explore there.
A rescue is underway to extract five men who became stuck in a cave in Virginia after rain made it difficult it get out, officials said Sunday. https://t.co/pZOqEGOVDA pic.twitter.com/JLq6sQy23B
— ABC News (@ABC) April 28, 2019
“Right now they are trying to make contact with them again. They had made contact with them about two hours ago,” Smith told News Channel 11. “They said they’ve made eye contact with two of them. The position they’re in, I can’t understand, I don’t know if they’re gonna have to have more people help them get over the ledges.”
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