Woman rescued after cave fall near Minsterley

Thursday 17th November 2011, 11:00AM GMT.

A caver was rescued in a six-hour operation early today after becoming trapped 300ft underground in a Shropshire mine.

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The woman, believed to be 24, had climbed 250ft into the the mine with six friends when she suffered an epileptic fit and fell.

Two of the cavers who were with her at the time returned to the surface to call for help and a major rescue operation was launched which ended at 3.30am today when the woman was hoisted up a shaft to safety on a stretcher.

Fifty-one volunteers from Midland Cave Rescue, police and ambulance crews were called to Snailbeach Lead Mine near Minsterley at 9.30pm yesterday.

The volunteers from across the West Midlands, including Shropshire, took part in the rescue operation, which saw two teams of four rescuers and a paramedic enter the mine to help bring the woman to the surface.

The woman from Devon was taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital complaining of back and leg pain.

Pictures: Rose Pearce

Read more in the Shropshire Star

View more: Minsterley news, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital news.

1
Stuart Tyrer

November 18, 2011 at 10:58

well done guys good result

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2
towbar

November 22, 2011 at 15:54

I find it incomprehensible that a known epileptic on medication to control her condition should have even thought about caving [a leisure pursuit involving descent by rope into darkness ]knowing full well that flashing lamp beams bouncing off underground rocks in the darkness has the potential to trigger a fit.They did. If she had failed to inform the club beforehand that she was an epileptic the total cost of her rescue is down to herself. If she had made it clear to the club, they obviously ignored the potentially life threatening consequences and should be heavily penalised.

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- Mike Moore
  
  November 24, 2011 at 15:51
  
  She is a member and the Secretary of the Devon Cave Rescue Organisation. She is hardly inexperienced would be more aware of the risks of living with a condition like that.
  
  Do you really want to dictate to everyone living with a disability what they can and can’t do
  
  Most of the SCMC are members of the Midlands Cave Rescue Organisation and in effect it is cavers rescuing other cavers.
  
  As Stuart said we should be celebrating a successful rescue which has been one of only two in 50 years of the club operating
  
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