Cave rescue mount 17-hour operation but man died before being brought to surface

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A man trapped after breaking his leg exploring an unmapped cave system in the Yorkshire Dales has died despite a 17-hour operation to rescue him involving almost 100 people.

The Cave Rescue Organisation (CRO), a volunteer group, said the man fell 6 metres (20ft) while exploring a narrow cave around Saturday lunchtime at Curtain Pot, Fountains Fell, North Yorkshire.

A statement on the CRO’s website said the man, who was part of a group of three, had sustained a suspected broken femur deep in the cave.

His fellow cavers rushed to get help, with one staying to direct emergency services to the site.

When they arrived, however, rescuers realised it was a narrow and difficult cave system.

The narrowness of the passages, the CRO said, caused severe difficulties for rescuers and required “major engineering work simultaneously at many places”.

“In the meantime, the casualty was provided care by a team doctor assisted by trained casualty carers, who monitored his condition, as well as packaging him for the eventual extrication,” the CRO said in an update on Sunday.

“Unfortunately, due to the nature of his injuries, and the extended time needed to create a navigable way out, the casualty succumbed to his injuries and died just prior to the extrication beginning.”

In total, 94 volunteers worked an estimated 1,626 hours to attempt to bring the man to the surface.

“Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go to his family and friends,” CRO wrote on Facebook. “Our thoughts and deepest thanks are also with everyone who were involved.”

While the rescue at Fountains Fell was underway, a 36-year-old woman was injured when she fell 6m at County Pot, in Ease Gill, Cumbria. Her leg was treated, put into a splint, and she was flown to hospital in Blackpool for treatment.



The caves on the Yorkshire Dales are a well-known tourist attraction, with 2,500 known caves including the longest system in Britain, the 89km-long Three Counties.