Police have praised a caver who raised the alarm after realising a party was trapped underground by rising water in the Yorkshire Dales.
The cavers, three adults and eight teenagers aged 15 and sixteen, became trapped in the Lower Long Churn system at Selside in Ribblesdale. The 11 were rescued by members of the Clapham-based Cave Rescue Organisation after the alarm was raised at 3.15pm yesterday.
The cavers, from Burnley, were on a day trip to the area from an outdoor centre in Lancashire.
North Yorkshire Police Sgt Angela Moorhouse, based at Ingleton, praised the action of the caver who raised the alarm. A spokesperson for the police said: “The alarm was raised by another caver who came out of the system after realising that the water level was increasing.
“On seeing the empty minibus parked at the car park he realised that people were still in the system and raised the alarm.”
Ambulance staff treated the 11 trapped potholers after they were brought to safety. One youth was taken to hospital suffering from mild hypothermia.
Novice caver Caroline Fletcher, 28, and her experienced colleague Stuart Goodwill, 33, died in Lower Long Churn in December last year after they were caught out by rising water levels.
Coroner Geoff Fell recorded an accidental-death verdict on the pair, whose bodies were found entangled in ropes by CRO rescuers.
Nine people were caught underground in May this year when heavy thunderstorms on nearby Ingleborough caused flash floods in the area and the party had to sit out the floods in Long Churn until waters subsided.
John Forder
01 October 2008When will they ever learn?????
Guest
01 October 2008Sadly the Long Churn system is seen as being suitable for beginners and inexperienced cavers. Water levels can rise quickly though and while there are safe places to sit things out, the temptation is to try and exit the cave before the water rises too far.
Guest
01 October 2008Do these people never check the weather forecast? Heavy rain was forcast for this week.
Guest
02 October 2008Presumably the outdoor centre staff were qualified to take a party caving? - if so then some level of experience would be required and thus, they should know the long churn system and how quickly it fills during heavy rain. This said, a quick look at the forecast for that day should have raised the alarm bells and I personally would have chosen another activity (canoeing ?) - from an experienced caver.