The rescue took place when the Guardia Civil became aware, via 112, of an accident that had occurred inside the Cueva de la Gitana, in the Sierra de María-Los Vélez Natural Park, when a group of people were caving.
For this reason, the Complex Communications Centre (COS) of the Guardia Civil Command in Almeria, mobilised the specialists of the Mountain Service of the Guardia Civil, the fire brigade of the Levante, speleological rescue teams and medical services with the utmost immediacy.
Once on the scene, the specialists were able to verify that during the activity in the Cueva de la Gitana there was an accident in which a woman was injured in the wrist and a contusion to the head. The Guardia Civil mobilised a Guardia Civil air service helicopter to transport a doctor and a nurse from Espeleosocorro Andaluz from Cádiz to the scene.
After assessing the situation by the GREIM specialists and in order to evacuate the wound with maximum safety and speed, a team from the Explosives Disposal and CBRN Defence (TEDAX) was sent to the scene to carry out several «micro-blasting» operations.
At around 03.30 hours today, the extraction of the wound began, carrying out numerous manoeuvres and stretcher passes with relays, so that it could be completed as safely as possible, arriving at around 05.30 hours to the outside of the cave.
The Guardia Civil completed this action after mobilising the operation to carry out the extraction in 18 intense hours of travel and work since it was known, proceeding to the evacuation on a stretcher from the cave to the medical units (600metros) by a steep, narrow and very unstable path and then transferring the injured to the hospital Torrecárdenas de Almería.
In the aid and rescue operation, the Guardia Civil sent 20 members of the GREIM from Granada, Malaga, Valencia, Madrid, Segovia, the Balearic Islands, a TEDAX team, the Air Service of Madrid and Malaga and several patrols of Public Safety. In addition, 4 rescuers from Espeleosocorro Andaluz, 3 from Espeleosocorro de Murcia, a doctor and a nurse from Espeleosocorro Andaluz, Firefighters from Levante, Emergency Services 112 and Civil Protection from Diputación de Almería also took part.
The City Council of María (Almería) has also sent Civil Protection units and all the necessary logistics to assist the operation.