Cave Exploring Gone Wrong: 10 Horrific Accidents of People Trapped in Caves

Cave exploring can either be rewarding or terrifying. Still, cave explorers gamble squeezing through narrow pathways and unknown chasms for the thought of achieving a goal, finding incredible sights, or maybe discovering some long-lost treasure.

However, even if cavers step into the subterranean with optimistic spirits, there are times that things go sideways. Here are some of the most horrific cave experiences of the past few decades.

Mossdale Cavern Flood

In 1967, John Ogden and five of his friends entered a remote area of Mossdale Caverns in England. It rained, and a rising lake buried the entrance by unfortunate coincidence. When they heard the sound of rushing water, Ogden and his group were crawling through a small tunnel. Ogden's head was forced up a fissure and trapped in a small crevice as it spilled in, drowning the five.He didn't drown, but by the time his group was discovered days later, he had already passed away.

Poganica Bay Stabbing

In 2002, M.K.'s body was discovered by divers 54 meters below the surface of the water in a Croatian underwater cave. He was by himself, but the diving mask had been taken off, and a 30-centimeter knife was stuck in his chest.

Although M.K. was involved, the police initially thought it was a murder, they later concluded that when the pain of drowning became too much for him to bear, stabbed himself in the chest.

Risky Sterkfontein Caves

In 1984, Peter Verhulsel and his friends went cave exploring in South Africa's Sterkfontein Caves. He repeatedly swam off the path before becoming lost. Despite the fact that he discovered an island inside one of the pitch-black caverns, he had run out of oxygen and was unable to swim out of the tunnels. He was discovered six weeks later, starving to death with a final note to his mother and wife expressing his love for them.

The Rescue in Bushman's Hole

He was committed to finding Deon Dreyer's corpse. Dave was going to return Dreyer's bones to his family despite the fact that he had been dead for ten years and had been missing in South Africa's Bushman's Hole. He had no trouble locating Dreyer's body and had attached a line to it so he could bring it up safely. Unexpected difficulties did arise, though. Shaw drowned next to the body he attempted to save after Dreyer's body was not properly secured and his flashlight got stuck.

Trapped in Nutty Putty Cave

In 2010, Ryan Shurtz had spent 19 hours trying to save John Jones. In Utah's Nutty Putty Cave, Jones was confined to a small space. To free Jones, Shurtz and his team were exerting every effort. While his workers constructed a pulley system to yank John out, Ryan bit his tongue in half when the line broke after several unsuccessful attempts and the metal carabiner fell and struck him in the face. Back down the hole, went John. Jones was already unconscious and never woke up again when Shurtz's father took over because he needed to exit the water.

Live by Crystal Cave; Die by...

In 1917, Floyd Collins came across a Crystal Cave and was determined to thoroughly investigate it. He squeezed through its narrow passageways, crystal cave exploring for eight years before getting trapped one day. Rescue teams worked to free him for the next 17 days, but nothing they did was successful. Collins died from thirst, hypothermia, and hunger on his 18th day in the cave.

Cave Creek, NZ

In 1995, a group of 17 students visited New Zealand's Cave Creek on a guided tour, staying on a path designed for tourists.

Some of the boys couldn't help but notice how flimsy it felt when they reached a platform that looked over a chasm. They laughed at how precariously it appeared to be constructed as they jumped and shook it. The platform collapsed under the pressure of the students. While his classmates were hurled overboard and drowned, one student managed to survive by holding onto the handrail and riding it down. Only four of the 17 made it and helicopters were used to lift them out.

Pannikin Plains Cave Self-Rescue

In 1988, Andrew Wight was part of a group of 15 people exploring one of the deepest caves in the world when a freak storm struck. The entire cave collapsed as a result of a flood of water entering through the cave entrance. Wight and a few others were stuck on a small ledge while the other 14 were all confined underground. Wight made the decision to swim through the water and was able to escape in a different way. He and others worked to send in line and lead his team out over the course of the following 27 hours.

Nam Talu Cave Survivor

In October 2007, Helena Carroll had been advised not to enter Nam Talu Cave because it was monsoon season in Thailand, and there was heavy rain. Along with her were seven other tourists who didn't realize the danger, including her boyfriend, John Cullen. When they noticed the water pouring into the cave, they quickly understood the severity of their error.

Carroll recalled that she and Cullen started climbing as other members of the group were being dragged away. Cullen thought he could swim for help and bring back a rescue party. Carroll stayed behind as he climbed into the water. Carroll was rescued eight hours later, only to realize that she was the only one that survived.

Plura Caves

In February 2014, Kai Kankanen was among the last divers to enter Norway's Plura cave with the intention of swimming through the paths and exiting on the opposite side, where there was a hole cut out of the mountainside. When Kai discovered Huotarinen's body, he had already gotten most of the way there. However, his friend was confined in a constrained space and he panicked and choked after swallowing water.

One of the men with Kai, Jari Uusimaki, became anxious and began exhaling too quickly, poisoning himself with carbon monoxide. Even though Kai made an effort to save him, he was unable to calm down and passed away. Kai made a u-turn and returned to the pond by swimming through the ice-cold water. Howver, he was unable to locate the hole they had created. He was forced to break through the ice that was blocking him from reaching the surface.

Kai had been submerged for eleven hours by the time he came to the surface. The other men in his group had reached and survived the other exit. The retrieval of their friends' bodies, however, would take almost two months.