Lost cavers okay after 12 hour rescue effort inside Lookout Mountain

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – Two lost cavers under Lookout Mountain finally saw the light of day again on Wednesday morning.

21 year old Gabriel Vaughn and 23 year old Robby Dobos went to explore caves off a railroad tunnel at the base of the mountain on Monday.

They had not been heard from since Monday evening.

A rescue effort lasted 12 hours through the night on Tuesday.

Multiple teams climbed through several chambers and pits under the mountain looking for them.

They finally made contact with the lost cavers around 3:45 AM in the back reaches of the cave, about a mile and a half in.

Fire officials say they were cold, wet and hungry because they didn’t have the gear they needed for such an expedition.

But they were able to walk out on their own without injuries.

The two young men will face trespassing charges.

“We greatly appreciate the teamwork by everyone involved and the seamless incident command system,” said Chattanooga Fire Chief Phil Hyman.

“This all could have been avoided if these individuals had made more responsible choices. It put the lives of all of our crews at risk and it was very labor intensive. But it showed the compassion and dedication of our first responders and volunteers and in this case, there was a positive outcome.”