Stuck woman traps SA cave group (was told she's too big for 'Tunnel of Love' but insisted on going)

The BBC ^ | January 2, 2007

[Stoat]

Stuck woman traps SA cave group

 

The tourists coped with the ordeal well. Photo: Cango Caves

An overweight woman who got stuck in a South African cave trapped 22 fellow tourists for more than 10 hours and had to be prised free with liquid paraffin.

The woman became trapped in the Tunnel of Love obstacle in the Cango Caves in Western Cape on New Year's Day.

The caves' manager said the woman had been warned she might not be suitable but she insisted on trying.

One of those trapped was a diabetic who had to be brought insulin. The woman and the other tourists were unhurt.

The rescue operation involved several ambulance teams and a helicopter.

Hein Gerstner, manager of Cango Caves, told the BBC it was an "expensive exercise" that could cost 40,000 rand ($5,700).

"We don't know yet who will foot the bill," he said.

Pulley

The ordeal began when the woman became stuck just after noon on New Year's Day.

Mr Gerstner said the woman was "told at the ticket office that she was too big to take part in the specific section".

He said she was again warned by the guide but that it was "very difficult to discriminate".

Mr Gerstner said: "The obstacle has a narrow base. She lost her footing and went down in a splits position. There was no way she could get her body weight up."

But he said she was young and remained mentally strong throughout and the other tourists took the ordeal "exceptionally well".

The tourists, including two asthmatic children, were given blankets, water and chocolate bars as the rescue proceeded.

One rescuer was able to climb over the woman to deliver insulin to the diabetic.

No drilling equipment was needed and the woman was eventually freed with a pulley and paraffin used to grease the surface at about 2320.

She was taken to hospital but is not injured and is expected to be released on Tuesday.

Mr Gerstner said: "We believe what goes in, must come out again. People get stuck all the time - that's one of the unfortunate things that happen, it's part of the adventure."

However, he said the caves would consider more stringent measures for those entering.

[Stoat]

He said she was again warned by the guide but that it was "very difficult to discriminate".

Lovely....people have their lives placed at risk as a direct result of this woman's bone-headedness as well as the cave tour operator's apparent fear of a 'discrimination' backlash.

Political correctness will be the death of us all one day, it seems.

[rhombus]

Thank you for not posting pictures.

[darkwing104]

Rosie?

[CFC__VRWC]

Lovely....people have their lives placed at risk as a direct result of this woman's bone-headedness as well as the cave tour operator's apparent fear of a 'discrimination' backlash.

And she'll probably end up suing the tour operator anyway for "humiliating" her by letting her get stuck.

[dirtboy]

[SteveMcKing]

the other tourists took the ordeal "exceptionally well".

How does he know what people were thinking? Not everyone is a mouthy, rude jerk when they become inconvenienced.

Inside, I'd be really annoyed, but I might not show my anger out of plain manners.

[Red Badger]

Aw, C'Mon! I wanna SEE!............

[Stoat]

Thank you for not posting pictures.

You're welcome....even if the article had pictures of the rescue in-progress, I would have thought long and hard before including them because the mental imagery is bad enough, and I have no desire to inflict unnecessary trauma upon other FReepers' neural landscapes.

[VRWCmember]

No drilling equipment was needed and the woman was eventually freed with a pulley and paraffin used to grease the surface

Story sounds kind of familiar.

[Stoat]

Rosie?

Very possible.  The belligerent, "it's all about me" attitude as well as the behemoth size all fit.

[Stoat]

Lovely....people have their lives placed at risk as a direct result of this woman's bone-headedness as well as the cave tour operator's apparent fear of a 'discrimination' backlash.

And she'll probably end up suing the tour operator anyway for "humiliating" her by letting her get stuck.
 

If this had occurred here in the USA then that is exactly what I would expect.  I don't know how the legal systems of South Africa compare in this regard, so I'm not sure if they are as hysterically and unreasonably litigious as so many people are here.

Lovely....people have their lives placed at risk as a direct result of this woman's bone-headedness as well as the cave tour operator's apparent fear of a 'discrimination' backlash.

And she'll probably end up suing the tour operator anyway for "humiliating" her by letting her get stuck.
 

[007girl]

If the chair don't fit....

[Ditter]

What a dumb bunch. I would NOT have been "taking it well" but then I would NOT have been in there because I am claustrophobic. Also if someone could climb over fatso to get insulin to the kids, why couldn't the kids, at least, have climbed over her to get out?

BTW I think I sat next to this woman on a flight a few years ago. Obviously I am still bummed out over it too.

[Stoat]

the other tourists took the ordeal "exceptionally well".

How does he know what people were thinking? Not everyone is a mouthy, rude jerk when they become inconvenienced.

Inside, I'd be really annoyed, but I might not show my anger out of plain manners.

At this point I'm guessing that the cave tour operators are functioning in a terrified damage-control mode, and are attempting to minimize this event as much as possible so as not to scare away business.  I would imagine that operating a cave tour is not a multimillion dollar per year enterprise.

I agree with your perspective and would further suggest that when a group of trapped and sickly people become frightened, they may act differently than someone who is, say, inconvenienced because he is  held up in traffic and starts honking his horn and yelling out the window.  It's an entirely different situation and just because they were quiet and did their best to put on a cheerful facade doesn't necessarily mean that they weren't absolutely frightened out of their minds.. 

the other tourists took the ordeal "exceptionally well".

How does he know what people were thinking? Not everyone is a mouthy, rude jerk when they become inconvenienced.

Inside, I'd be really annoyed, but I might not show my anger out of plain manners.

[Ditter]

I see after reading it again that the kids were asthmatic not diabetic, but I still wonder why they could not have climbed out over the stuck woman.

[PCBMan]

"I think I sat next to this woman on a flight a few years ago..."

Wanna see the largest people you've ever seen? Go to the airport. I can't quite figure out why that is.

[CharlesWayneCT]

One rescuer was able to climb over the woman to deliver insulin to the diabetic.

So why didn't the "trapped people" just climb over the woman? or at least the diabetic person, or the asmatic children?

Maybe the should have eaten their way out.....

[Ditter]

Maybe it is just us being more observant and hoping they 'the huge ones' won't be our seat mates on our flight.

If you have ever sat next to one and had mounds of their warm sweaty flesh hanging over onto you, you would remember and hope that it NEVER happens again.

The reason I am being so graphic is to encourage those large ones out there who are reading this to drive next time, not fly.

[AxelPaulsenJr]

Also if someone could climb over fatso to get insulin to the kids, why couldn't the kids, at least, have climbed over her to get out?

I agree, something doesn't jive in this story. Besides, we all know it was Bush's fault that the woman is so overweight.

[Stoat]

I see after reading it again

THANK YOU....on so many OTHER threads it is very obvious that a large segment of posters don't read anything past the title, if that much, before responding.

I was bothered by the "climbing over" part too, and I'm thinking that it may very well be inaccurate reporting (I know that this may be hard to believe) and that there was in reality only enough room to get an arm through.

Whenever inconsistencies in news stories come up, I often find that the quality of reporting is to blame.