Coconino County emergency personnel have rescued a group of people who were stranded 200 feet below ground in Grand Canyon Caverns for almost 24 hours following an elevator malfunction Sunday.
Three people weren’t able to evacuate up the 21 floors using an emergency staircase because of physical limitations.
The group, plus the husband of one of the people, stayed the night Sunday in a hotel suite at the bottom of the cavern as a repair was attempted on the elevator.
When it didn’t succeed officials decided to remove the three people using a technical rope rescue system in the elevator shaft the next day. By 6 p.m. Monday, members of Coconino County and Flagstaff Fire Department search and rescue units had evacuated the entire group one at a time. None had suffered any medical issues.
The Grand Canyon Caverns are located in Peach Springs, which is about 65 miles northeast of Kingman. The tourist attraction lets visitors tour an ancient underground cave and contains a small restaurant and hotel.