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Rescuers: Missing Rutherford County cave explorers found
By SHELLEY MAYS
Published: Wednesday, 06/14/06
Two 18-year-old men who were lost in a Rutherford County cave overnight have been found, authorities said at a news conference.
The men were found about 30 minutes into the cave. They are hungry and cold and are being reunited with their families, authorities said.
Rescuers first found two cell phones and a glow stick inside a zip lock bag, suggesting the men might have been trying to mark their path.
Timoteo Hernandez, Jr., and Matthew Donald Corns, both 18, went into the Snail Shell Cave about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Their friends called for help about 2:30 a.m. after the men did not return.
A search began about 4 a.m.
The "wild cave" is located on private property and is not intended for recreational use, said Randy White, spokesman for the Rutherford County EMS. The missing men were dropped off by friends at the location, then jumped a fence to get into the cave, authorities said.
The cave, which is 14 miles long and ranges from 5 to 80 feet deep, is frequently used to train rescue teams from around the midstate, White said.
Rescurers are concerned that the missing men could develop hypothermia because temperatures inside the cave are as low as 52 degrees.
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Published: Wednesday, 06/14/06
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