Exhausted Group Rescued After Becoming Trapped In Virginia Cave

CLEVELAND, VA — A group of men are safe after finding themselves trapped in a southwest Virginia cave, exhausted and battling hypothermia.

Jeff Stern, state coordinator for the state Department of Emergency Management, tweeted Sunday evening that the third, fourth and fifth men had been rescued out of Cyclops Cave, located about 100 miles west of Richmond in Cleveland, Virginia.

Six men entered the cave Friday evening, but only one emerged safely early Sunday after heavy rains poured Saturday night, saturating the ground and making it harder to get out.

The man who escaped told authorities the other group members were fatigued and might be suffering from hypothermia, officials told CNN. They were having trouble getting out.

The first trapped man was successfully rescued around 3:30 p.m. Sunday and the second was saved about two hours later, Stern tweeted. The second man had to be airlifted to a hospital by state troopers.

Around 6 p.m., Stern tweeted that the remaining three men had also been rescued.

"All have been rescued successfully at this time," he wrote. "Rescue personnel retrieving equipment and beginning demobilization efforts. Very proud of all rescue personnel from multiple local and state groups and agencies."

Gov. Ralph Northam thanked the rescuers in a tweet.

"I’m happy to report that all individuals have been safety rescued from the cave in Cleveland, Virginia," wrote Northam. "Sending my deepest gratitude to the first responders, @VDEM, and search and rescue personnel who helped get them to safety."

A rescue is underway to extract five men who became stuck in a cave in Virginia after rain made it difficult it get out, officials said Sunday. https://t.co/pZOqEGOVDA pic.twitter.com/JLq6sQy23B
— ABC News (@ABC) April 28, 2019

A rescue is underway to extract a group of men who became stuck in a cave in Virginia after rain made it difficult to get out. A group of 6 initially planned to spend the weekend inside the cave in Cleveland, Virginia. When rain caused ground inside the cave to become slippery pic.twitter.com/r0egma8kKD
— Sherman (@Shermanbot) April 28, 2019