5 people stranded underground rescued at Grand Canyon Caverns after elevator breaks
Five people were rescued Monday evening after they became stranded 210 feet below the ground at Grand Canyon Caverns in Peach Springs, Arizona, on Sunday night.
When the group was ready to return to the surface after visiting the tourist attraction, the elevator malfunctioned, leaving the tourists stranded around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, according to Coconino County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jon Paxton. The staff at the caverns told authorities it was an electrical problem but since it was Sunday night, they couldn't fix it until Monday morning.
The people, whose ages ranged from their 20s to the 70s, said Paxton, were placed in a hotel room inside the cavern for the night. The underground room and a restaurant are both amenities available at the attraction.
The cavern is about one hour northeast of Kingman and lies within a private park. Admission for an adult ranges from $20 to $120.
Paxton said deputies learned on Monday the problem was more likely a mechanical one, and that it was determined repairs attempted overnight were unsuccessful . The Sheriff's Office offered the group the alternative of lifting them out, instead of waiting for the elevator to be repaired.
Rescuers arrived around 2 p.m. and assessed the situation; ultimately deciding to utilize the lift system to save the party. Rescuers were able to use the emergency stairwell to reach the group for extraction.
After a few hours, the Sheriff's Office search-and-rescue team got the stranded people out with the lifting apparatus. It took nearly 15 minutes to lift each individual to safety. They were all lifted to safety and reported no medical problems by 6 p.m., Paxton said.
"I was not on scene ... but I'm sure that they were all happy to be out. You know, it's not usual for people to spend that much time underground, and they're not used to it," Paxton said.
While there were stairs to leave the cavern, Paxton said the people would have climbed about 21 floors, which could be challenging for some of them.
"This is more like a fire escape, so it was a little bit more physically challenging, and a few of the folks in the party were not able to climb out that many stairs," Paxton said.
In his more than 30 years of working with the Sheriff's Office, Paxton said he doesn't remember an incident like this happening before.
Reach breaking news reporter Angela Cordoba Perez at Angela.CordobaPerez@Gannett.com or on Twitter @AngelaCordobaP.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 5 people stranded 210 ft underground rescued at Grand Canyon Caverns
