French rescue 7 Spanish spelunkers trapped overnight in cave

PARIS – French authorities on Wednesday rescued seven Spanish spelunkers who had been trapped overnight in a cave in the Pyrenees region.

The Haute-Garonne prefecture launched a successful rescue operation in the morning, and said that the six men and one woman were “lifted out of a chasm” and are “tired but not injured.” Officials say a doctor is at the scene to provide a medical checkup.

Officials said that the Spaniards were part of a group of 15 explorers who began a descent on Tuesday afternoon and eventually got trapped. Eight managed to escape to the surface during the night, and contacted authorities at around 4 a.m. (0300 GMT).

Spain’s foreign ministry said that the Spanish consul in Toulouse went to the scene.

Extreme weather and recent heavy rain have caused flooding in some caves in the mountainous region — well-known to cave explorers. It’s about 140 kilometres (85 miles) southwest of Toulouse and around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Spanish border in the area of Arbas-Herran.