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Two Speleologists Rescued From Flooded Picos de Europa Cave After Night Storm

A three-member GREIM unit reached them using a parallel safety line to bypass a newly formed waterfall.

Overview

  • Two men, aged 40 and 47, entered Cueva del Agua around 19:00 to finish safety lines for a planned practice.
  • A sudden storm near 19:30 caused a rapid surge of water inside the cave, creating strong currents and internal waterfalls that blocked retreat.
  • Three colleagues waiting outside raised the alarm to 112 at 01:14 after confirming the pair were trapped by flooding.
  • A three-person GREIM team from Cangas de Onís established a new line under heavy flow and noise and guided the men out at 04:25.
  • The rescued speleologists showed mild hypothermia, used a thermal blanket to retain heat, and had equipment not suited to the abrupt weather shift.