France: Six cavers trapped in cave

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France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby Scintilena » Jan 7, 2008 1:08 pm

News from Scintilena - italian caving news
Six french cavers are missing in the Biefs Boussets cave.

They entered Saturday morning and had to go through the cave. The exit was scheduled for Saturday night or Sunday morning at 8 chilometers far away.
The french rescue teams started Sunday afternoon. Three teams came into the cave. The last team entered this morning at 2 and returned back. The weather conditions do not allow to enter it because continues to rain and the water level does not go down.
29 rescuers are involved in recovery operations.

They use the “Nicola System” for comunicate external-internal of the cave.
More details, interview and tv-movie are available on the site http://www.scintilena.com in Italian.
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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby Wayne Harrison » Jan 7, 2008 3:26 pm

The video is very good, even if it's in French.

Thank you very much for posting!
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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby cavemanjonny » Jan 7, 2008 3:34 pm

Scintilena wrote:29 rescuers are involved in recovery operations.


Does this mean that there is little hope for rescuing the cavers alive?
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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby Wayne Harrison » Jan 7, 2008 3:59 pm

I think that something may be lost in the translation...

I couldn't find any Google News on it but I did find a bunch of stories on French Google, for those of you who can read French:

French Cavers trapped (French link)

Here's a Babblefish translation of one of the stories:

Six speleologists wedged under ground by the rise of water since Saturday


It there A 14 hours

DESERVILLERS (AFP) — Six speleologists left Saturday to explore the pit of the Boussets Levels in Deservillers (Doubs) were surprised by the rise of water and remained blocked under ground Monday, in spite of the mobilization of the helps which had not been able to locate them at the end of the afternoon.

Three rescue squads tried in vain in the night of Sunday to Monday to come into contact with these experienced speleologists, originating in the area and themselves members in the Help French spéléo.



"One should not be pessimistic but one can be legitimately worried. The more time passes and the more worrying it is because it acts of one of the largest pits of France ", declared the prefect of the Frank-comté area, Jacques Barthélémy, arrived on the spot towards 15H00 to take stock with the helps.

"They are nevertheless experienced people, they are not beginners", he underlined.

The six speleologists, old from 29 to 45 years, originating in Doubs, the Territory of Belfort and Meurthe-et-Moselle, were initially to leave ground Sunday in middle of day to Nans-under-Holy-Anne (Doubs), that is to say with eight kilometers of the place where they had started their forwarding.

"the priority is to locate these people", underlined the captain Raphaël Faivre, of the center of operation of fire and help of Doubs.

"They have hot clothing which enables them to resist moisture", of the "covers of survival" and have food "to hold one week", observed for its part Eric David, technical adviser in Spéléo French help.

"All are informed of the rules to last in situation of blocking", added Mr. David who estimates that, if they are not wounded, the speleologists are not in active danger to one period "five days to one week".



Approximately 25 men of Spéléo help of Doubs and forty sappers firemen took part at the beginning of afternoon in the operations of research, at the same time from the entry and the exit of the cave.

The plungers were not finally mobilized, water not having completely drowned the underground galleries. These last remain practicable with the stroke, ensured the helps.

The rain, fallen in abundance all the night had made the progression very difficult in the vast underground grid of Verneau, running on about thirty kilometers between Déservillers and Nans-under-Holy-Anne (Doubs).

It had calmed Monday midday and Météo France envisaged a lull for the three days to come.

According to Eric David, the fall (of subsoil waters) started at the beginning of afternoon but the relief is too disparate to evaluate time that that will take to make it possible spéléoloques to release itself.



The first-aid workers deployed under ground a network of telephone cables allowing them to communicate with surface and to leave to the wedged speleologists a means of contacting them if they can it.

At the beginning of evening, a team was to explore the entry of the pit and "to go down to the siphon, a point charged with water, halfway located gallery some 5 km length", explained the colonel of the firemen André Benkemoun. According to the quantity of water found with this "delicate passage", they will determine their future action.
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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby Scintilena » Jan 7, 2008 4:10 pm

The cavers missing are members of french national rescue and national rescue in Europe is excellent. They have good equipment and food for some days, we hope they waith for stop raining, I hope it. The cave has some full water part and siphon, but there are also dry zone. The story is drammatic, but there are possibility that they are fine.
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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby cavemanjonny » Jan 7, 2008 4:29 pm

Scintilena wrote:The story is drammatic, but there are possibility that they are fine.


You'll have to keep us updated!
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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby Wayne Harrison » Jan 7, 2008 6:29 pm

I'll keep an eye on reports as well and post any updates I see.
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Contact established with 2 of 6 trapped cavers

Postby Wayne Harrison » Jan 8, 2008 8:56 am

Doubs: contact established with two of the speleologists blocked under ground


DESERVILLERS (AFP) — The helps have managed Tuesday to establish a contact with two of the six speleologists blocked for more than 72 hours in an underground gallery with Déservillers (Doubs), announced the prefecture of Doubs.

"the difficulties of communication do not make it possible to know for the moment with precision their physical state", underlines the prefecture in an official statement.

"Their exit of the pit is considered between 15H30 and 16H00, except particular difficulties of progression", specifies the prefecture, adding that "research of the four other speleologists continues and the whole of the backup facilities remains mobilized".

Research had shown in an intensive way Tuesday morning, under favorable, to try to find the six speleologists, old weather conditions from 29 to 45 years.

Little before 6H00, a team made up of two plungers and nine carriers, members of Spéléo French help, had engaged in the pit of the Bousset Level, upstream of an underground gallery of 13 kilometers, where the fall started well after the rains of the last days.

Their mission was to reach then to cross a cavity filled with water, located at approximately 2 km of the entry of the pit and beyond which they espèraient capacity to locate the blocked speleologists, had explained at the time of a point presses, the president of Spéléo French help, Eric Zipper.

The first-aid workers transport with them of food, the drugs and equipment to set up a communication system with the teams of surface.

In addition, another team, made up of five speleologists, was Tuesday morning on the point of engaging in the Baudin cave to explore the downstream part of this underground gallery, presented like largest of France.

"Progressively with the hours which pass, one wants to go more and more quickly, but the fall is well started", underlined Mr. Zipper.

The speleologists, qualified "raftered", have of food and equipment which enable them to hold several days, according to speleologists'.

However, the first-aid workers have only one window favorable weather until Wednesday morning.

"It is true that for the moment one puts all the chances on our side so that tomorrow morning (Wednesday) with 6h00, one has the minimum of rescuers engaged under ground and that one could either put them in safety and to be close to them, or to have emphasized them", underlined Mr. Zipper.

Some did not fail however to wonder about the appropriateness of the exit under ground of these speleologists, Saturday morning, whereas the services weather announced rains Friday and Saturday.

(translated by Babblefish) Source
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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby yvonnedroms » Jan 8, 2008 12:06 pm

Two of the cavers have exited. They are exhausted, but not hurt.
Two rescue teams are still looking for the other four cavers. Dives are in progress, but there is no info yet.

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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby yvonnedroms » Jan 8, 2008 12:26 pm

The last four cavers were found! No other details.
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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby yvonnedroms » Jan 8, 2008 2:44 pm

The four cavers were taken in charge by two divers, they crossed the siphon, and are in the process of climbing up the various pits to the surface. They should be coming out tonight (French time). A good ending to a four-day ordeal!
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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby Scott McCrea » Jan 8, 2008 2:50 pm

Thanks, Yvonne.:bow: Good news, indeed!
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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby yvonnedroms » Jan 8, 2008 5:10 pm

Final update: the last four just emerged safely, as of 23:00 French time (5 pm eastern US). Happy ending!
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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby nordicjw » Jan 8, 2008 6:01 pm

GREAT OUTCOME- :banana_yay: :banana: :banana_yay: . yvonne droms, thanks for the timely updates
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Re: France: Six cavers trapped in cave

Postby cavemanjonny » Jan 8, 2008 7:58 pm

Fantastic! Glad to hear that!
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