Five trapped in Slovenia cave

Five people have been trapped in a cave in southwestern Slovenia since Saturday afternoon after heavy rainfall raised the water levels, making it impossible for rescuers to take them out safely, local media reported yesterday.

The group, including a family of three and two tourist guides were reported to be sheltered in a safe place in the 8.2-kilometre-long Krizna jama cave, which can only be visited by boat.

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On Saturday evening, rescuers managed to reach the group briefly and delivered food, water and a heated tent, civil protection officials from the area told journalists yesterday.

But since the group was located more than two kilometres away from the entrance to the cave, it will take a new team of divers three to four hours to get to them, officials said, adding that the final rescue will depend on when the water levels fall, STA reported.

That may be overnight, but could also take a couple of days. Križna jama, a chain of underground lakes with emerald green water, is the fourth largest known cave ecosystem in the world in terms of biodiversity.

Last November, Indian rescuers safely brought out all 41 workers from a collapsed Himalayan road tunnel where they were trapped after a marathon 17-day engineering operation.

Relatives outside celebrated, after previous hopes of reaching the men were repeatedly dashed by falling debris and the breakdown of multiple drilling machines, in a rescue operation the government said took place in "challenging Himalayan terrain".