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A rescue operation is underway to extract five men who found themselves stuck in a cave in Virginia after the rain has made difficult their exit, officials said Sunday.
A group of six had originally planned to spend the weekend in the Cleveland Grotto, Virginia, until it rains late Saturday night, Russell News told Jess Powers, Russell's coordinator Emergency Emergency Management. The rain made the floor of the cave slippery, making it difficult for the men to escape, Powers said.
One person managed to escape, but the others remained trapped in the cave, he added.
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Billy Chrimes, coordinator of search and rescue for the Virginia Emergency Management Department (USV), told reporters Sunday morning to the press. The rescuers have joined the men and it does not seem that they are too far into the cave, he added.
However, it will take about 90 minutes to reach them, said Chrimes. The first person was extracted from the cave before 4 pm On Sunday, Jeff Stern, the state coordinator for the Virginia Emergency Management Department, announced on Twitter.
The first person was saved successfully. Four more to do.
– Jeff Stern (@SternJD) April 28, 2019
The men trapped in the cave since Friday around 19 hours, said Chrimes. They were not prepared for the rain after entering the cave and did not bring enough food and water for a long time, said Chrimes.
But the rescuers provided them with water, he added.
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The teams are trying to figure out how to proceed with the rescue in the narrow slot at the entrance to the cave, said Chrimes. Climbing and pushing are necessary to get through the fall at the entrance to the cave.
Underground temperatures are in the mid-1950s, posing a risk of hypothermia, officials said. The person who escaped told the authorities that the others felt weak and showed signs of hypothermia, said Chrimes, adding that cell phones and radios did not work in the interior. .
Joshua Hoyos and Will Gretsky of ABC News contributed to this report.
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