Rescuer Piotr Konopka told Poland’s PAP news agency on Sunday: “Due to the long time these people have spent in extreme conditions, there is a serious concern over their state of health.”
A group of six people entered the Wielka Śnieżna Cave on Thursday. Spanning almost 24 km, this is the longest cave in the Tatra Mountains.
On Saturday evening, four people emerged and immediately notified authorities that two of their colleagues had been trapped by an unexpected flood inside the cave.
The head of the Polish Tatra Volunteer Rescue Service, Jan Krzysztof, said: “We have identified the most likely area in which the cavers could be located. The final few dozen metres stretch of the cave is very narrow.”
Late on Sunday, the PAP news agency reported that there were 26 rescue workers trying to free the trapped cavers, mostly from the Polish Tatra Volunteer Rescue Service.
The number included four rescuers from Slovakia, which shares the Tatra Mountains with Poland.
On Sunday evening, rescuers set off a series of small explosions within the tunnel complex, hoping to improve access to the trapped people.
(sl/gs)
Source: PAP