Rescuers hoping to reach tourists and guides trapped in Slovenian cave
Two guides and three tourists have been stuck southern Slovenia’s Križna Jama cave since Saturday morning after a period of heavy rain.
Two guides and three tourists have been stuck in southern Slovenia’s Križna Jama cave since Jan 6, after a period of heavy rain.
(CNN) — Rescuers are hoping to pull five people from a cave in Slovenia on Monday, two days after the group went missing.
Two guides and three tourists entered the cave, named Križna Jama (or “Cross Cave”), in southern Slovenia on Saturday morning, after a period of heavy rain, and failed to return later that day.
A third guide went to search for them but could not find the missing group, and the Slovenian Cave Rescue Service (CRS) was activated to recover them.
Rescuers searching for the missing group on Saturday. (Cave Rescue Service of Slovenia/Handout/Reuters)
Rescuers are now planning to enter the cave and bring the group to safety on Monday.
The water cave is one of Slovenia’s most well-known tourist destinations, with visitors able to take a boat ride to explore inside.
Rescue efforts continued on Sunday, but divers were unable to evacuate the five. (Cave Rescue Service of Slovenia/Handout/Reuters)
The service sent divers into the cave on Sunday and successfully made contact with the group, but were unable to evacuate them because high water levels had blocked the two safe passages, the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) said in a statement on Monday.
The group were about 1.3 miles from the cave entrance, and were in good physical and mental condition, the ECRA said.
“The morning brings positive information; the water level in Križna Jama has decreased overnight.”
The ECRA added that decreased water levels meant rescuers could navigate a boat around the cave area, “which is very promising for the rescue of trapped individuals.”
“Slovenian Cave Rescue Divers are preparing to enter the cave in the early morning hours [of Monday]. If everything goes according to plan, we can hope for a successful rescue of the trapped individuals during today,” ECRA added in Monday’s Facebook post.
The-CNN-Wire
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