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5 people rescued after being trapped underground at Grand Canyon attraction

Grand Canyon Caverns rescue.jpeg
Posted at 8:41 AM, Oct 25, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-25 10:41:04-04

PEACH SPRINGS, Ariz. — Five people were rescued after being stuck in an underground cave at the Grand Canyon Caverns, near Kingman, Arizona.

Officials said the elevator that takes tourists down about 20 stories below ground stopped working on Sunday.

Sherry Jimenez was finally pulled out of the Grand Canyon Caverns nearly 30 hours after she went down there.

"I can't say thank you enough because they did everything so professionally, so safe," Jimenez said.

Each rescue reportedly took at least 25 minutes.

Of the five people, at least two are in their 70s and the group is unable to walk safely up the more than 20 stories of a staircase that it would take to get out, according to authorities. The staircase is described as being tough to walk up and similar to a fire escape staircase.

All of the other people who were at the Grand Canyon Caverns when the elevator broke were able to walk up the stairs to get out.

The Grand Canyon Caverns is a popular tourist attraction that allows people to dine 21 stories underground.

No injuries were reported.

This story was originally reported on abc15.com.