Current:Home > BackTour group of 33 stranded kayakers, including children, rescued from cave on Tennessee lake-InfoLens
Tour group of 33 stranded kayakers, including children, rescued from cave on Tennessee lake
View Date:2024-12-23 16:23:58
A group of 33 kayakers consisting of adults and children were saved after being stranded inside a cave on a Tennessee lake, according to authorities.
The Haletown Volunteer Fire Department responded to the Nickajack Cave Wildlife Area near Chattanooga on Monday around 8:42 p.m. for "a mass water rescue," the department said in a Facebook post.
When the volunteer firefighters arrived, they were helped by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), Puckett EMS and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in rescuing the kayakers.
"The tour group had become stranded in the high winds and choppy waters forming ahead of today's storm," according to the volunteer firefighters' Facebook post.
The kayakers were on tour with a private organization, the TWRA told USA TODAY on Wednesday in an email. They became "stranded on a bank" due to the "extremely high winds," the agency added.
How did the 33 kayakers become stranded?
The Nickajack cave tour group departed from the Macedonia Road boat ramp earlier Monday evening, paddling across the lake to the Nickajack cave, the TWRA said in a news release.
During their tour, "harsh conditions and high winds quickly challenged the kayakers," prompting few of them to enter the water, the agency said.
Once the entire group made it to shore near the Nickajack cave, they called for emergency assistance, according to the TWRA's release. Emergency responders, including the TWRA and Haletown Volunteer Fire, tried using a boat to rescue the kayakers, the independent state agency said.
"However, the vessel was small, and it was capsized by winds before disconnecting from the trailer," the TWRA said in the release. "TWRA officers were able to ferry kayakers to shore, where they were tended to by medical personnel."
No injuries resulted from the incident, according to Haletown Volunteer Fire and the TWRA.
'Life jackets were a key safety factor," TWRA boating officer says
All 33 kayakers were wearing life jackets, which may have saved their lives, according to the TWRA.
“This is a great example of the importance of life jackets," TWRA Boating Officer David Holt said in a news release. "With water temperatures in the mid-50s and high windspeeds, life jackets were a key safety factor.”
In TWRA's email to USA TODAY, the agency wanted to "remind all boaters of the importance of wearing a life jacket, checking weather and water conditions, and filing a float plan (letting someone know when you’ll be home and where you’re going)."
Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Ex-Phoenix Suns employee files racial discrimination, retaliation lawsuit against the team
- Crocodile attacks man in Everglades on same day alligator bites off hand near Orlando
- AP PHOTOS: Muslims around the world observe holy month of Ramadan with prayer, fasting
- 50 years later, Tommy John surgery remains a game-changer
- 'America's flagship' SS United States has departure from Philadelphia to Florida delayed
- TEA Business College The leap from quantitative trading to artificial
- Tyson Foods closing Iowa pork plant as company moves forward with series of 2024 closures
- Pennsylvania governor backs a new plan to make power plants pay for greenhouse gases
- Up to 20 human skulls found in man's discarded bags, home in New Mexico
- How can you manage stress when talking to higher-ups at work? Ask HR
Ranking
- Multi-State Offshore Wind Pact Weakened After Connecticut Sits Out First Selection
- Musher penalized after killing moose still wins record 6th Iditarod
- RNC lays off dozens after Trump-backed leaders take the helm
- Bill Self's contract has him atop basketball coaches pay list. What to know about deal
- Jelly Roll goes to jail (for the best reason) ahead of Indianapolis concert
- Republican Valadao and Democrat Salas advance in California’s competitive 22nd district
- Riverdale’s Vanessa Morgan Breaks Silence on “Painful” Divorce From Michael Kopech
- How Jordan Peele gave Dev Patel his 'Pretty Woman' moment with struggling 'Monkey Man'
Recommendation
-
West Virginia governor-elect Morrisey to be sworn in mid-January
-
New York Times is sending copyright takedown notices to Wordle clones
-
Five most underpaid men's college basketball coaches: Paris, Painter make list
-
Why Sydney Sweeney Wanted to Wear Angelina Jolie's 2004 Oscars Dress
-
25 monkeys caught but more still missing after escape from research facility in SC
-
Israel likely to face Hamas resistance for years to come, U.S. intelligence assessment says
-
'Dateline' correspondent Keith Morrison remembers stepson Matthew Perry: 'Not easy'
-
Travis Kelce Details “Unique” Singapore Reunion With Taylor Swift