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Chockstone Forum - Accidents & Injuries

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Bungonia cave rescue
gnarly_rider
17-Feb-2014
1:37:37 PM
http://www.theage.com.au/nsw/rescuers-make-contact-with-trapped-cavers-in-bungonia-national-park-20140217-32uma.html

"One of three cavers trapped underground in the Bungonia National Park for nearly a day has been rescued and taken to the surface.

Police and paramedics had been searching for the three men - aged 52, 47 and 21 - who were reported missing on Sunday night after heavy rain and a possible rockfall trapped them in the caves.

Rescuers initially dug a small hole through to the cavern in which they were trapped.
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A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said rescuers managed to bring the first man to the surface just before 1pm on Monday, 24 hours after the trio entered the caves.

The two remaining cavers were expected to be rescued before 2pm, the spokeswoman said.
The men were "cold and wet, but otherwise well", the spokeswoman said.

Heavy rain fell in the area on Sunday afternoon, flooding a section of the cave system and preventing the cavers' escape. One person involved in the rescue effort suggested there had been a rockfall in the caves.

Police said the men entered the cave system in Bungonia Gorge about 1pm on Sunday and were due to return at 6pm.

The sister of one of the men raised the alarm about 10pm on Sunday when they had still not turned up.
..."


IdratherbeclimbingM9
17-Feb-2014
2:09:28 PM
Sounds like the Hogan-Fossil system, ... one of a number of regular flooders at Bungonia!
If that system is the case, then it has two entrance/exits and they could use the 2nd as a round trip if they were familiar with same.
Wollemi
17-Feb-2014
2:31:45 PM
B4-5. 'Rescuers' were accessing the area via B17.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
17-Feb-2014
3:01:58 PM
On 17/02/2014 Wollemi wrote:
>B4-5. 'Rescuers' were accessing the area via B17.

B4 is Fossil Cave
B5 is Hogans Hole

B17 is a non-descript small chamber cave in the same doline as B15 Shaduf Cave located above and slightly southeast of the B4-B5 extension-cave. It (Shaduf) was described in 1964 as being a promising dig that may connect with B4-5, but it's (Shaduf) entrance was naturally blocked in 1965.

It has been many years since I actively caved there, so a connection may have been established since...

dave h.
17-Feb-2014
3:19:18 PM
I assume they were doing the B4-5 extension?

IE going through the long, tiny tunnel into the much larger and deeper system (from memory it goes all the way down to the river, or at least a sump), rather than doing the shorter and easier route which lots of school groups do.

My vague memory of the sketch of the extension is that it looks very long, very low and very cramped. I can see how even a little bit of water pooling could well render it impassable...
gnarly_rider
17-Feb-2014
3:28:06 PM
Well, they are all out anyways, from the updated news article above:

"Three cavers trapped underground in the Bungonia National Park for nearly a day have been rescued and taken to the surface."

....

"The men were "cold and wet, but otherwise well", the spokeswoman said.

Inspector John Sheehan said they became trapped between two separate flooded areas in the Hogan’s Extension cave.

Rescuers dug their way through mud and slush to reach the trio.

Receding water levels helped the rescue operation.

"It’s always a delicate operation because you're underground and in a very confined space," Inspector Sheehan said.

The cavers, who declined to be interviewed, gave a thumbs-up when they arrived back on dry land and planned to have a good sleep on Monday afternoon."


Sabu
17-Feb-2014
3:39:43 PM
On 17/02/2014 gnarly_rider wrote:
>trapped between two separate flooded areas in the Hogan’s Extension cave.

*Shudder*

Not my idea of fun. Glad they're out safely and had the good sense to inform others of their expected return time.

grantoss
17-Feb-2014
3:44:29 PM
B17 is Flying Fortress Cave, a small passage with a chamber at the end. Full of rare fossils and is closed to the public for this reason.... there's a hole in the floor of the chamber which drops down into largest chamber in the b4/5 extension bypassing the rat run (the 200m long unpleasant crawl).
These guys must have been a fair way into it as you dont normally come accross water until quite a ways after the largest chamber..... would have been pretty freaky!
Wollemi
17-Feb-2014
3:47:56 PM
Great news that they are out!
Have caved and done much other outdoor stuff with one of those guys; always a fun, great - and safe - day out.
Last time I saw him at the start of the 2013 Hawkesbury Canoe Classic (dressed as Tinkerbell) he was still raving on positively about an extended Peruvian caving expedition he was on two years ago.

rodw
17-Feb-2014
5:51:26 PM
B4-5 extension is an active stream bed, and always floods in rain events...considering the rain was forecast for a week, if they did get trapped there it should not have been a surprise. Fossil hogan only the duck under floods...you can always get out either end...shaduf floods if a bat does a piss, so again weather should have been a warning.

Theyseriously should not have got stuck doing any of them as bungonia caves have got to be one of the best documented caving areas in the country...glad they are alright...kudos to the rescuers too...cave rescue is often a very hard task.

grantoss
17-Feb-2014
7:20:15 PM
On 17/02/2014 rodw wrote:
>B4-5 extension is an active stream bed, and always floods in rain events...considering
>the rain was forecast for a week, if they did get trapped there it should
>not have been a surprise. Fossil hogan only the duck under floods...you
>can always get out either end...shaduf floods if a bat does a piss, so
>again weather should have been a warning.
>
>Theyseriously should not have got stuck doing any of them as bungonia
>caves have got to be one of the best documented caving areas in the country...glad
>they are alright...kudos to the rescuers too...cave rescue is often a very
>hard task.


so you reckon they just got stuck on the wrong end of the rat run? That wouldnt be too bad, at least you would know that its an easy rescue out B17. would suck if you got stuck in one of the couple of stand up sections in the rat run.... worst case would be if you were down the very end near the lake

rodw
17-Feb-2014
8:03:53 PM
Yeah once past the rat run it rarely floods to the roof, hypothermia biggest problem but also drains quickly..you not gonna die, but probably a bad call doing it considering forecast....hope they bought a round at marulan pub at the bare minimum.

B17 silts up regularly, even dry its tight..Im totally guessing but that might have been exit strategy that went south..it does silt up/block regularly.
PDRM
18-Feb-2014
9:12:41 AM
On 17/02/2014 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>Sounds like the Hogan-Fossil system, ... one of a number of regular flooders
>at Bungonia!
>If that system is the case, then it has two entrance/exits and they could
>use the 2nd as a round trip if they were familiar with same.

Andrew said on the news segment that the second entrance was locked, hence them not trying that until voice contact was made.

P

There are 13 messages in this topic.

 

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