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CNN Live Saturday

Trapped Cave Tourists Lifted to Safety

Aired May 19, 2001 - 16:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Eight exhausted tourists trapped underground for three days have been lifted to freedom. Today, search teams rescued the Swiss amateur explorers who were trapped in a maze of caves along the Swiss-French border. That happened when the tunnels filled with water from heavy rains. Joining us now by phone to explain it all is our bureau chief in Paris, Peter Humi -- Peter.

PETER HUMI, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: Donna, that's right. Just over two hours ago now, in fact, shortly after 8:00 in the evening local time around the French-Swiss borders, the eight potholers, amateur potholers, were led to safety by rescue workers. Now, the three young women and five young men had gone down into the caves last Wednesday evening, so they spent more than three days underground in very damp and at what rescue workers first feared life-threatening conditions.

They were actually discovered by a diver Friday morning, and in the 36 hours since then -- although they're all reported in fairly good physical condition and they've been receiving warm food and drink and blankets et cetera -- but 36 hours since they were first discovered has been an issue of just waiting for those water levels to drop. Rescuers first tried pumping out the water, and they did so using high-powered pumps. Thousands of gallons of waters were pumped out, but the levels of water were going -- were reducing very slowly due to continuing rainfall.

In the end, what they did this morning was set off a controlled explosion amidst -- acts a little bit like a plug in the bathtub, once you lift it up, all of the water seeped away. And in fact, the eight were able to wade through the system of caves, the 100 yards or so to the entrance, which they had last seen on Wednesday evening, and out to safety. So, what is -- has been a fairly traumatic experience, obviously, for three days, so all of these -- students, in fact, they were -- has now come back to an end. They are expected to be put onto buses reasonable soon, after further medical inspections and sent back home to Switzerland -- Donna.

KELLEY: Peter Humi, our Paris bureau chief, thanks very much.

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