College students, tour guides escape Kentucky cave through neck-deep water

An afternoon thunderstorm caused flash flooding in Horse Cave, Kentucky, on Thursday, trapping 19 people inside a cave.

On Thursday morning, students from a Clemson University geology course embarked on a guided tour of the Hidden River Cave, which only has one way in and one way out. They had no cellphone service, and after heavy rains caused water to rush into the cave, two police officers entered to help get the group out; they also became stranded.

The group was caught in an area known as The Attic, which has a higher ceiling, Kentucky State Trooper B.J. Eaton said in a statement. As the water continued to rise, they decided it was time to attempt an escape. "When they came out of the cave, they were neck-deep in water," Hart County Emergency Management Director Kerry McDaniel tells The Associated Press. "The waters were continuing to rise under the flash flood. They saw an opportunity to exit the cave, so they took the chance." The students, four tour guides, and two police officers were all checked for hypothermia, and all declined additional medical attention. "We looked at this from the beginning and hoped it was a search rather than a recovery operation," McDaniel said.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up