A group of kayakers were rescued after being trapped in a cave in Tennessee

Rescue services in Tennessee went to a wilderness area to help 33 kayakers, including several children, after they became trapped in the lake inside a cave. The group was reportedly trapped by strong winds and water that was churned up by the storms.

The Haletown Volunteer Fire Department responded to the Nickajack Cave Wildlife Area near Chattanooga to rescue a large group of kayakers, the department said in a social media post.

Firefighters were assisted by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), also by Puckett EMS and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, all teamed up to rescue the kayakers.

Strong winds and rough waters

“The tour group had been stranded due to strong winds and rough waters that were forming before today’s storm,” the Fire Department said.

The group of explorers got into their kayaks to begin their adventure from the Macedonia Road boat ramp, then continued paddling across the lake to Nickajack Cave, where they did not make it out.

Weather conditions began to affect the lake, and paddlers could no longer reach shore. It was when they requested emergency help to avoid a more severe accident, especially because there were several children in the group.

The rescue services located them in the Nickajack cave, and tried to use a boat to get them all up, but they realized that not all of them could enter and they looked for another way to help them so that no one was hurt.

Small boat to rescue them

“However, the vessel was small and was capsized by winds before becoming disconnected from the trailer,” the TWRA said in a statement.

“Officers were able to transport the kayakers to shore, where they were treated by medical personnel. There were no injuries as a result of the incident,” according to Haletown Volunteer Fire and TWRA.

The 33 kayakers were wearing life jackets, which helped save their lives at the time when the strong winds and the water were very rough.

“This is a great example of the importance of life jackets,” TWRA Navigation Officer David Holt said in a news release.

“With water temperatures around 50 degrees and high wind speeds, life jackets were a key safety factor,” he added.

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