A 50-year-old Vancouver woman is recovering in Kelowna General Hospital after falling 25 feet into a cave near the Skaha Bluffs climbing area on the outskirts of Penticton.
Penticton & District Search and Rescue says the woman is being treated for severe head and upper body injuries after taking the fall on Monday afternoon.
The rescue took seven hours to complete, because of how deep the woman had fallen into the cave; about 60 feet - and involved crews from PENSAR, the RCMP, the Penticton Fire Department, and the BC/ Alta Cave Rescue Team.
SAR Manager Randy Brown stated "this was a complex event with lots of logistics and moving parts, however everyone had their eye on the objective and the teamwork was seamless.
Doug Munroe, Coordinator for Alta/BC Cave Rescue, said all cave events are a challenge and complex, especially when working in confined spaces as you have low visibility, unstable rock and then you add an injured subject to the mix and everything gets more complicated.
Brown added "that at the day's end he estimates that up to 50 rescue personal where engaged from around the Province.