Peter Humi on cause and effect of cave rescue

Peter Humi

CNN Paris Bureau Chief Peter Humi reported on the eight amateur spelunkers -- also called potholers or cave explorers -- who spent more than three days trapped underground after heavy rains flooded a cave system in Goumois, eastern France.

Q:Why were the Swiss students at the French cave?

HUMI: Something the French media mentioned is that it was part of their character-building -- or part of an experience designed to help develop their ability to cope with the challenges of their future career as social workers in Switzerland. The seven students and one group leader, who was also their tutor, were on holiday from a college in Zurich which trains social workers.

Q:Who sounded the alarm?

HUMI: Another group of Swiss students. When the group of eight went in early Wednesday evening, they were expected to come back out after a few hours. When they failed to show up after several hours, the alarm was raised and the rescue effort began Thursday morning at daylight.

Q: What went wrong ?

HUMI: Heavy rainfall is to blame. The cavers got themselves stuck inside the system of tunnels and caves. Unfortunately, floodwaters rose to a certain point to where they were trapped and could not go back the way they had gone in. So they were stuck inside a cave which wasn't entirely flooded, luckily for them.

It had been raining fairly heavily in that region of eastern France on the French-Swiss border, an area known as the Doubs. Wiser heads said -- somewhat after the event -- "Oh, of course we would never have gone into the caves under such conditions because you never know the risks you will run after heavy rainfalls." The trapped group were not terribly experienced potholers, cavers or spelunkers.

Q: Who pays for rescue teams?

HUMI: The governments of Switzerland and France because it wasn't far from the border. The rescue teams, which were made up by and large of potholing experts and professionals, will be paid by local governments. And the majority of the rescue services on the French side are government employees, so the French taxpayer will pay the burden of the rescue effort.

Q: Did the explosion, set off to drain water out of the cave, make it more dangerous?

HUMI: Obviously, that cave system will have to be inspected by the professionals to see whether by creating this hole in one of the tunnels or caves, this could prove to be dangerous. It will remain closed certainly for a while.

That particular system of caves is going to draw the kind of people who will specifically want to go into them to see if they can get flooded in there and survive. However, a majority of people will avoid that system for a while.