Explosives used in cave rescue

Rescuers are sending down food and drink to the stranded group

GOUMOIS, France -- Rescue workers have used small explosives as part of efforts to free eight Swiss tourists trapped in a French cave.

Rescuers hope to bring the five men and three women to the surface before the end of Saturday.

The eight cavers are in one of two cavities known to have air pockets about 80 metres (265 feet) from the entrance to the cave.

The explosives were used on Saturday to enlarge the small cavity located near the group to speed the release of water from the cave.

The potholers were found alive on Friday after being trapped in the cave near the town of Goumois since Wednesday, but efforts to free them have so far failed.

VIDEO Rescue workers hope to free the eight cave explorers trapped along the Swiss-French border by tonight (May 19) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     AUDIO CNN's Peter Humi: None of the potholers are particularly experienced 642 K/60 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

Food, water and blankets have been successfully passed to them by rescue divers.

The potholers -- or spelunkers -- are said to be weak and dehydrated after their ordeal, which began after heavy rain caused torrents of water to rush through the cave, which is near the Swiss border.

"They are alive. They are safe and sound," Bernard Fraudin, deputy governor of the Montbeliard region, told French television on Friday.

Divers reached the group after swimming through a narrow passage in the long, winding cave.

More than 100 Swiss and French rescuers had dug into the cave from above, said Eric Zipper, a government-hired cave expert.

Two divers and a doctor are now staying with the group in the cave.

The rescue effort was delayed when the water level began rising again and blocked the exit, French television station LCI reported.

Alain Gehain, the top official of the Franche-Comte region, said on Friday night that rescuers were waiting for the water to recede before sending more divers into the cave, the Associated Press agency reported.

"If they decide to evacuate the youths, it will take a minimum of three hours or five hours to get them all out," Joel Possiche, president of the French Spelunking Association told AP.

Once rescuers reach the cavers they will be outfitted with scuba diving equipment to advance through the flooded tunnels of the cave and then have to walk a short distance along the cave's external wall to reach safety, rescue workers said.

Rescuers are waiting until the water levels drop enough so the cavers' heads will be above water during the evacuation.

The tourists, seven students and a teacher from a college in Zurich, began their exploration of the cave on Wednesday. Known as Bief-du-Paraud, or Paraud Canal, it is considered ideal for inexperienced potholers.