A man and a woman were rescued after being stuck in a complex cave system for nearly 10 hours in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. The two were part of a group of six people exploring the Jenolan Caves, a series of underground tunnels located west of the Blue Mountains. They became trapped in a narrow section of the cave around 7.20pm on Saturday night.
The rescue operation involved the New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES), police, Volunteer Rescue Australia, and specialist ambulance crews. One of the first responders, Craig Gibbons from Oberon SES, said they had to drill small holes and chisel away some of the rock wall to free the trapped man.
Rescuers were particularly concerned about the risk of hypothermia, as the cave temperature typically stays around 10 to 12 degrees Celsius. Despite the situation, the man remained calm and in good spirits.
Paramedics provided food and water to the trapped pair during the operation. Adam Parker, a paramedic, described the rescue as extremely difficult and delicate. After nine and a half hours, the pair were finally freed from the cave at 4.45am on Easter Sunday.
Once outside, the paramedics determined that the man and woman were stable and did not require hospitalization. Gibbons expressed relief at seeing them walk away from the scene safe and sound. He noted that in his 30 years of service with the SES, approximately a dozen people have been rescued from the Jenolan Caves. This was his first rescue in the adventure caves, which are more dangerous due to their tight and hard-to-reach areas.
