If tight spaces freak you out, you might want to skip this story.
Forest rangers and members of a cave rescue team worked together for more than six hours in a tight space to rescue a person who became trapped in a cave in New York on Sunday.
According to officials with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, forest rangers received a report of a person stuck in Merlin’s Cave in Canaan, New York around 9 p.m. on Sunday, May 17.
The person was reportedly stuck roughly 400 feet from the cave entrance through a passage that rangers described as “incredibly tight.”
Rangers said the person had been caving with other people when he slipped into a tight crevice while crawling through the cave. He reportedly wasn’t injured, but he was wedged by the rib cage and pelvis, and he was reportedly becoming hypothermic.
The other members of his caving party exited the cave to call for help. Rangers said they were all hypothermic.
A forest ranger and members of a National Cave Rescue Commission team arrived on the scene and attempted to remove the person from the crevice. They soon realized they would need to use a hammer drill to remove some of the rock.
The process took six hours before the person was free. Once free, the person exited the cave on their own.
Resources were clear at 2:18 a.m.
Merlins Cave Preserve consists of 35 acres and is in nearly pristine condition. All trips require a trained cave steward who is thoroughly familiar with the cave and as participated in Steward-training exercises. In addition all trips are at the discretion of the Preserve Managers.
The preserve requires a permit for access by regular users.
