© Chanwit / Adobe Stock
In the UK, responsibility for inland rescue falls to the police, but in reality, they don't have the specialist training, expertise or resources to carry out underground rescues. The British Cave Rescue Council is responsible for saving people in peril.
The BCRC comprises 16 volunteer underground rescue organisations, with more than 1,000 rescuers, plus a big supply of the required specialised equipment, including diving gear for underwater rescues.
Ready to spring into action when the police request them to do so; each team has an area of responsibility when coordinating underground search and rescue operations.
How many people need rescuing from caves per year?
In the UK, there are around 4,000 expert cavers. However, a further 70,000 people have tried their hand on instructor-led courses, with the Yorkshire Dales being a particularly popular location.
Worldwide, cave tourism is big business, with an estimated 70 million people participating. Caves are one of the most visited geological features on the planet!
Caving can be a dangerous pastime, as participants risk rockfall, hypothermia, drowning and poor-quality air. However, the thrill of discovering new places outweighs the risks for those who enjoy it. By using the correct equipment and with proper preparation and training, you can significantly reduce the risks.
High-risk cavers who visit specific sites such as those that are hard to access, remote, particularly difficult to navigate, or exceptionally deep, statistically have a one in 3,332 chance of suffering a fatal accident. Around one in 624 high-risk cavers suffer a serious injury.
Considering the vast numbers that visit caves each year for fun, the majority of people emerge unscathed. In terms of all cavers, of all ages and abilities, there is one fatality in every 666,000 people, and one in 125,000 is seriously injured.
Of the cavers who are rescued by the emergency services, 54% are lost or stranded, largely due to a lack of experience or inadequate preparation. The number one accident type is a traumatic injury, suffered by 74% of those who need rescuing after an accident.
In the dark underground environment, you can easily fall or trip, especially if you start to feel tired or cold. You should remain well hydrated and wear the appropriate warm clothing to maintain your physical and mental abilities.
The advice from rescue organisations is to join a local caving society to learn the correct skills and increase safety awareness. Prepare properly before any trip - and this includes checking the weather. Make sure you have the correct equipment and a waterproof storage box to keep your belongings clean and dry.
Why and when will a cave rescue team be called out?
Rescuers are experienced cavers themselves. They are volunteers who have completed additional training in underground rescue techniques, with additional specialist skills including underwater diving and casualty care training.
Taking on a coordinating role; the British Cave Rescue Council isn't a governing body. The cave rescue teams across the UK will assemble at the request of the police, who will have received a 999 call. Individual cave rescue organisations remain entirely independent and autonomous. They carry out rescues mainly in disused mines, limestone areas and other underground features found across the UK.
Various rescue organisations divide responsibility for aiding the police forces in each region. This system means every police force has its own underground rescue team that it can call in the event of an emergency.
Cave of the Black Spring rescue
One of the most notable UK underground rescues was an incident at the Cave of the Black Spring in November 2021, when 300 volunteers came together to save the life of a stricken caver at Ogof Ffynnon Ddu in Wales. One of the UK's deepest cave systems, the Cave of the Black Spring has passageways at a depth of 901ft underground.
An experienced and healthy caver, George Linnane, from Bristol, had entered the underground network with his caving partner through the Cwm Dwr entrance. Around a mile into the 43-mile network of caves and tunnels, Mr Linnane fell and couldn't move.
No one should go caving alone, no matter how experienced they are. You should also alert someone as to where you’re going, in the event of an accident, so loved ones can raise the alarm if you don't return.
Mr Linnane had suffered injuries to his fibula, tibia, jaw and chest. Although his injuries weren't life-threatening, the challenge for rescuers was getting him out safely when he was so deep inside the labyrinth of caves.
It turned into a massive national rescue effort involving 300 rescuers from all over the UK. Volunteers who arrived at the scene were allocated different tasks, such as taking the specialist equipment and medical supplies down to the victim.
The caves were described as a "tangle of passages on multiple levels" by volunteers from the Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation. Moving through the narrow passages was a challenge for an uninjured caver on foot but for a team of ten bringing an injured man out on a stretcher, including wading through water, it seemed insurmountable.
However, the rescue was carried out successfully, thanks to a massive effort by the volunteers. The rescuers all carried sweets in their helmets as an instant energy boost, as the rescue took 20 times longer than it had taken Mr Linnane to descend underground.
The rescuers used a revolutionary communication system called "Cave Link", enabling those deep underground to speak to other team members at the surface. After 36 hours, Mr Linnane was carried to safety and the rescue teams were praised for their dedication and hard work.
Thailand cave rescue
Another miraculous feat was the Thailand cave rescue in 2018. Twelve boys, aged between 11 and 16, who were members of the local Wild Boars football team, together with their assistant coach, 25-year-old Ekkaphon Chanthawon, disappeared while exploring the Tham Luang Nang Non caves beneath the Doi Nang Non mountain range.
A massive rescue operation was launched – it was realised that they were stranded in the caves due to the continual heavy rainfall while they were underground. The team's head coach, Nopparat Kanthawong, raised the alarm when the party failed to return.
Between 23rd June and 10th July, a logistics camp was set up at the entrance to the caves, where volunteer rescue workers planned their mission. Among those in attendance were Thai Navy SEALs, various military personnel, civilian rescuers, journalists and members of the public.
Some 10,000 people helped the rescue effort including more than 100 divers, 900 police officers, 100 government agency representatives, 2,000 soldiers, a fleet of ambulances, police helicopters and thousands of volunteers. More than 700 diving cylinders were used and water that would have filled the equivalent of 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools was pumped out.
After 18 days, amazingly, all the boys and their coach were rescued safely from 4km inside the caves and taken to hospital. Tragically, 37-year-old Saman Kunan, a former Royal Thai Navy SEAL, lost his life during the rescue operation on 6th July. He died of asphyxiation after delivering diving cylinders to the trapped group.
It was said the boys survived and remained in relatively good health because they were all passionate about playing football and were very fit. They also had a little food with them and rationed it carefully.
Film adaptation of Thai rescue
A new biographical film adaptation about the rescue, Thirteen Lives, released on 29th July by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, features stars such as Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell in the true story of how the team's lives were saved by the intrepid rescue teams. It will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video from the 5th of August.
Netflix is also releasing Thai Cave Rescue - a dramatized retelling of the true story. It features the 12 actual players from the boys' soccer team, while actors will play the adults' roles. It will be broadcast from 22nd September on Netflix.
The important thing to remember for anyone planning to go on a caving trip is to have the correct equipment and only go within your comfort zone and abilities.