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A GROUP of Primary 5 students and their teachers were trapped in a flooded cave in Malaysia on Friday, and had to be rescued by firefighters.
The group from Rosyth School - 49 pupils and nine teachers - spent more than four hours in the cave.
Nobody was hurt.
They were on a caving expedition to Jerantut, Pahang, over the weekend.
The Malaysian media reported that they were headed to the Kota Gelanggi Cave Complex, a 150-million-year-old cave complex.
This cave complex is famous for its unique fauna, flora and rock formations.
At 10am that day, the pupils - boys and girls - and teachers set off caving at Pulau Tawar, a series of seven caves, with a local guide, said Mr Yahaya Hanafi, head of station for the fire and rescue department in Jerantut.
Rosyth School's vice-principal, Mr Ammiel Wan, said in an e-mail reply to The New Paper last night that it was drizzling when the group started their trek in the morning.
After trekking for about 300m, the drizzle got heavier, and the teachers decided to turn back.
The group took shelter at the entrance of a dry cave, 200m from their base camp.
They had lunch inside the cave, waiting for the rain to stop.
But the rain got heavier.
And the cave began to flood.
The Malaysian media reported that one of the teachers said: "The exit was blocked with water.
"The water was moving into the cave very quickly, and the students started to get scared."
Mr Yahaya told TNP: "It had been raining the past few days, so it's not surprising a flash flood occurred."
"A river nearby had burst its banks, adding to the water in the cave.
"The water was 2m deep in some parts inside."
In his e-mail, Mr Wan said: "The guides and the teachers decided to cancel the expedition in view of the incessant rain."
Around 3pm, egged on by worried teachers, the guide requested advice and assistance from Malaysian police and firefighters.
The group was advised to wait for an evacuation team.
Within half an hour, six firefighters and five policemen arrived at Gua Penyu (turtle cave in Malay), the cave they were in.
Said Mr Yahaya: "At first, we tried to bring a boat into the cave to rescue the kids.
"But the boat could not manoeuvre through the trees and their roots, so we decided to use a rope instead."
Using this rope, firefighters helped the pupils wade through a waterlogged area to reach their base camp.
By 7pm, the rescue was over.
Said Mr Yahaya: "I've not encountered a situation where people were trapped in a cave before.
"Thank God nobody was injured."
Mr Wan said the pupils wore life jackets to ensure their safety, and were closely held by their teachers and the rescue team.
He said: "The situation was under control at all times and safely managed. Safety was never compromised."
He added that when the group arrived at the base camp, the pupils were immediately given dry clothes and food.
Looked after
"The participants' well-being was always looked into.
"Parents were informed beforehand that should there be a change of weather, the teachers would automatically fall back on (a) contingency plan.
"Throughout the trip, SMSes were sent to parents, informing them that the children were safe."
As the expedition was cancelled, the group spent the rest of the time at the Tekam Plantation Resort, where they stayed until Sunday before returning home.
Climbing instructor Michael Lim, 29, said the firefighters appeared to have used a fixed rope method to get the group out of the cave.
Mr Lim, who is also the retail manager at Climb Asia, a company of climbing professionals, explained that a fixed rope can provide support efficiently in certain emergency situations:
First, one or both ends of the rope must be attached to an anchor, such as a pillar or a large rock.
The trapped people can then use the rope as a "railing" to show them the way out.
Rescuers can use the rope as a safety lifeline as they guide the people out one by one.
Mr Lim said: "It could well be that the waters there were deep and treacherous. If the kids were wandering on their own, they might have slipped into cracks or holes.
"Without a support, they might also have been washed away by currents."
