A complex rescue took place near the Skaha Bluffs yesterday to rescue a woman who had fallen in a cave.
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September 04, 2018 - 8:12 AM
PENTICTON - A 50-year-old woman is being treated for serious injuries after falling at Skaha Bluffs over the weekend.
Penticton Search and Rescue spokesperson Randy Brown says in a news release the woman was rescued yesterday, Sept. 3, following a complex and challenging rescue that ended around 7 p.m. last night.
The woman is being treated for severe head and upper body injuries after falling in a cave yesterday morning.
Brown says search and rescue was alerted to the incident around 11:36 a.m. The woman had apparently fallen approximately 25 feet while inside a cave near the Skaha Bluffs climbing area.
Two others who were with the woman were able to climb out and call for help.
Rescue personnel found the woman 60 feet inside the cave and by 1 p.m. search and rescue technicians realized the complexity of the rescue would require assistance from the B.C. and Alberta Cave Rescue Team, who were called in over the next several hours.
Preparations for the rescue continued as 14 rescue personnel assembled from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.
At 6 p.m., with 25 personnel on scene the the rescue began. The injured woman was brought to the surface by 7 p.m., and was transported to Penticton Regional Hospital, but due to the extent of her injuries, was transferred to Kelowna General Hospital for further treatment.
“This was a complex event with lots of logistics and moving parts, however everyone had their eye on the objective and the teamwork was seamless," Brown said in the release.
Brown said the rescue ultimately involved 50 rescue personnel, including search and rescue members, volunteers, cave rescue personnel, Penticton Fire Department, Penticton RCMP and local helicopter personnel.
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