Five people have been trapped 200 feet underground for greater than 24 hours on the Grand Canyon Caverns in Arizona after an elevator on the tourist attraction malfunctioned, authorities said Monday.
The five tourists became stranded contained in the country’s largest dry caverns — where there may be an underground hotel suite and restaurant — at sundown Sunday, Coconino Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jon Paxton told NBC News.
The individuals have medical conditions that prevented them from climbing up 20 flights of stairs to succeed in above ground in Peach Springs, Paxton told Fox News.
The stairwell is analogous to an old fire escape, compounding the problem of accessibility, he added.
Elevator repair personnel are working to repair the lift. They attached the elevator to an external generator Monday, however the plug-in proved unsuccessful, Paxton said.
The sheriff’s office can be weighing using a harness to hoist the five tourists out of the caverns through the elevator shaft if the machinery can’t be fixed soon.
Within the meantime, the five tourists are staying contained in the underground suite which sleeps six people and costs $1,000 an evening for 2. The suite is provided with two queen beds, a fold-out futon, a “RV style” bathroom and a kitchenette with a microwave and a mini fridge.
Five people have been trapped 200 feet underground for greater than 24 hours on the Grand Canyon Caverns in Arizona after an elevator on the tourist attraction malfunctioned, authorities said Monday.
The five tourists became stranded contained in the country’s largest dry caverns — where there may be an underground hotel suite and restaurant — at sundown Sunday, Coconino Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jon Paxton told NBC News.
The individuals have medical conditions that prevented them from climbing up 20 flights of stairs to succeed in above ground in Peach Springs, Paxton told Fox News.
The stairwell is analogous to an old fire escape, compounding the problem of accessibility, he added.
Elevator repair personnel are working to repair the lift. They attached the elevator to an external generator Monday, however the plug-in proved unsuccessful, Paxton said.
The sheriff’s office can be weighing using a harness to hoist the five tourists out of the caverns through the elevator shaft if the machinery can’t be fixed soon.
Within the meantime, the five tourists are staying contained in the underground suite which sleeps six people and costs $1,000 an evening for 2. The suite is provided with two queen beds, a fold-out futon, a “RV style” bathroom and a kitchenette with a microwave and a mini fridge.
