Latest news Two cave explorers missing in Spain - military helps in search

A man and a woman are missing in a huge underground labyrinth of caves in northern Spain. The two had climbed into the depths on Saturday and should have returned on Sunday, the authorities in the Cantabria region announced on Monday. They were experienced cavers. Search teams have been deployed in the cave complex.

However, Isabel Urrutia from the regional government told journalists that helicopters and drones were also being used for days to search for the missing persons, as they may have fallen into a crevice after leaving the cave. A total of 59 members of professional search teams, including the Military Emergency Unit (UME), were deployed.

The cave into which the cavers had descended is part of an extensive complex of natural underground passages and halls called Garmaciega, which is around 100 kilometers long. It consists of various sections and is one of the "most difficult" caves in the region, the state TV station RTVE quoted the mayor of the nearby municipality of Soba, Julián Fuentecilla, as saying. A year ago, a French speleologist died there due to an underground rockfall.

SDA