Two people have been reunited with their exploration group after they were trapped for ten hours in treacherous caves west of Sydney.
Six members from Canberra’s National University Caving Club set out through the Jenolan Caves near the Blue Mountains yesterday afternoon.
Ten minutes from completing the four-hour hike, Tim Hanigan became stuck in a narrow passage.
Also trapped was Alice Kelly, who had been behind him.
The rest of the group were able to escape and alert emergency services around 7.30pm that their fellow explorers were trapped.
The almost ten-hour rescue of the pair unfolded at the cave site, which lies more than 100 kilometres west of Sydney in the Blue Mountains.
A large number of resources responded, including the NSW Police rescue unit, the SES and multiple ambulance crews.
Specialists drilled into the rocks to carve out a path for Hanigan and Kelly, who were able to leave the cave just before 5am today.
Both explorers have walked away without a scratch.
Oberon SES member Craig Gibbons was one of seven SES members who assisted in the rescue.
He said cave rescues were a complex operation and described the Jenolan caves as “more dangerous”.
“The man was stuck in a tight and narrow spot in the cave, with a woman behind him,” he said.
“We entered the cave from the other side, and needed to drill small holes and chisel some of the rock wall away so we were able to free the trapped man.
“Once we got the man free, we handed him and the female over to paramedics, and it was great to see them both walk away from the scene safe and well despite it taking many hours to get him free.
“This was my first rescue in the adventure caves – which are more dangerous as they’re in much tighter areas that are difficult to access.”
Gibbons has been a member of the NSW SES 30 years and has conducted a number of rescues at the caves over the years.
“About a dozen or so have been in areas known as show caves, which are more accessible,” he said.
“We do a lot of training to build our skills, and it was just great to get a successful outcome today.”
The pair were assessed by paramedics and there were no reports of any injuries.
