Cave researcher rescued
August 16, 2014
The 27-year-old speleologist from Poland, who has been identified only as Marek G., was flown to hospital in Salzburg early on Saturday morning.
"The patient is so far, so good," Salzburg rescue team spokeswoman Maria Riedler said.
The man had been conducting research work with five compatriots inside the vertical Jack Daniels cave on Thursday when he fell seven meters (7.6 yards) down a cliff, suffering a thigh injury, a fractured rib, bruising and a concussion. The accident occurred at a depth of around 250 meters (273 yards) beneath the rugged Tennen Mountains in the Austrian Alps.
Rescue workers transported the man to the cave's mouth in various stages. At one point, the shaft had to be widened to allow the stretcher to pass through to the surface, where an emergency doctor and cave rescue doctor were on hand.
"The cave should not be underestimated. One has to fight ahead centimeter by centimeter," said rescuer Wolfgang Gadermayr.
Memories of June rescue
More than 70 rescue workers were deployed at the site. Many of them had also been involved in the rescue of 52-year-old cave researcher Johann Westhauser in June.
He spent 11 days stuck about 1,000 meters underground in the Riesending cave - Germany's deepest cave system - near the Austrian border.
nm/tj (dpa, AFP)