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six hours, trying to stabilise him and get his pain under control before the team attempted tomove him. Given George’s injuries, there was no fast way to get him out of the cave. Above ground, Gary read the mes- sages from the rescue teams and real- ised that they wouldn’t be able to take George along the route the trio had taken into the cave; the passages were too narrow. Gary called in Gary Evans, a cave res- cue warden for 20 years and an inci- dent controller, who was a 45-minute drive away. When Gary Evans arrived at around 10 p.m., he and Gary Mitchell reviewed the logs of what had hap- pened up until that point. Meanwhile, more rescuers arrived. Medical personnel carrying life-saving equipment, including IV drips and hospital-grade painkillers, made numerous trips in and out of the cave. Teams worked in rotation, giving peo- ple time to eat and sleep. ElEvEn hours aftEr the fall, shortly after midnight, rescuers started to carefully move George from the rift to a more open area of the cave. It was a gradual process, with rescuers trying to keep him as comfortable as possible and avoid further accidents, while the doc- tors and first-aiders regularly stopped to ensure he wasn’t deteriorating. Dr. Brendan Sloan, a consultant in anaesthetics and intensive care and the British Cave Rescue Council’s medical officer, arrived at the clubhouse. He was briefed before bunking down, so he would be ready to jump into action when needed. He slept poorly. Would I be better off down there, giving them a hand? he wondered. Gary Mitchell also rested, while local volunteers busied themselves making cups of tea, sandwiches and soup to refresh the dozens of exhausted rescu- ers at the clubhouse. The need to get George to hospital grew more urgent by the minute, but Gary Evans knew that the process would go on for some time yet. He put out a call to more rescuers around the country, includingMartin Grass, chair of Mendip Cave Rescue in Somerset, around 160 kilometres away. By this point, dozens of helpers had shown up, but on a difficult rescue peo- ple have be replaced regularly so that they don’t become worn out. As equip- ment, such as food and medicine, was used up, Gary Evans coordinated efforts to replenish stocks. This is bedlam , he thought. It was one of the most serious rescues he had worked on. THE HOURS TICKED BY. GEORGE DRIFTED IN AND OUT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 102 june/july 2026 SMWCRT In all, more than 300 people joined the effort to bring George to safety. The hours Ticked by. Despite the best efforts of the doctors, George was struggling with pain. He drifted in and out of consciousness. At around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, Dr. Sloan woke up from a fitful sleep, pulled on his rescue gear and made his way to the cave. With his medical equipment stowed in a bag, he wormed his way through tunnels and across cre- vasses, getting to George just as he was being hauled up a steep incline. The doctors already on scene were con- cerned about George’s vital signs. His oxygen levels are not fantastic , thought Dr. Sloan. More oxygen cylin- ders were brought from the surface. For the next six hours, Dr. Sloan stayed by George’s side as he was moved through the tunnels. The doctor knew that hypothermia was a serious risk under- ground. “We’ll set up a shelter to warm you up as soon as we can,” he told George. Dr. Sloan gave George an injection of tranexamic acid to help slow his bleeding. He could be bleeding out his whole blood volume into his abdomen or pelvis and we can’t see it , thought Dr. Sloan. The team turned George, still strapped to the stretcher, vertical at times, which increased the risk of him choking on his blood and vomit; he became nauseous when not horizontal due to the low blood pressure caused by bleeding. Dr. Sloan administered anti-sickness medication. Further along, the team had put up ropes to build a shelter of foil blankets so George could be warmed up before being moved on. Twenty hours had passed since the fall. The rescuersmoved gingerly, stepping over drops and around holes as they slowlymovedGeorge along the tunnels. Distances that cavers could normally readersdigest.com.au 103