The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office came to the rescue of a group of tourists that were stranded in the Grand Canyon Caverns for nearly 30 hours due to an elevator malfunction.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office was contacted on Sunday night, that a group of children, parents and grandparents, were stuck 200 feet below ground.
Some members of the stranded party were not capable of self-evacuating by using the emergency staircase.
After assessing the situation over the phone with personnel from the Grand Canyon Caverns and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office deputy on the scene, it was determined that the stranded party could stay overnight in a hotel suite located at the bottom of the Cavern while repairs were made on the elevator.
The Sheriffs Office was notified that the repair to the elevator was not successful and that the party at the bottom of the cavern would need rescue assistance.
Members of the Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue unit and members of the Flagstaff Fire Department were able to construct a “technical rope rescue system” in the elevator shaft and pull up the three people, who were unable to use the emergency stairs.
Once on the surface, the members of the party were evaluated by personnel from the Sheriffs Office and the Flagstaff Fire Department.