The Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue (TOPR) workers removed bodies of the two spelunkers who had died inside the Wielka Śnieżna cave in the Tatra Mountains. The two men were exploring lesser-known corridors of the cave and the water blocked off their exit.
The bodies were transported to Zakopane by a helicopter. The prosecutor was waiting at the landing pad near the hospital. Autopsies will be carried out to determine the exact cause of death. The inquiry into the death of the spelunkers will be conducted by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Nowy Targ.
The mission inside the Wielka Śnieżna cave began on August 17. Two members of one of Wrocław's spelunker clubs got trapped in the cave after the water had flooded the corridor. Four of their collegues managed to get out the cave and notified TOPR rescuers.
The body of the first caver was discovered on August 22.
The rescue mission was largely based on blowing up rocks with explosives in order to widen the narrow corridors of the cave. TOPR workers were aided by their Slovak colleagues from the Horska Zachranna Sluzba.
The chief of TOPR, Jan Krzysztof, has said that search missions in such extreme conditions are extraordinarily difficult and complicated.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP