A rescue operation, supervised by the Isère Prefecture, was launched on Wednesday evening: two speleologists (including at least one woman) had not returned from their exploration of the Malaterre network, in Villard-de-Lans. A team was sent to the spot in the evening, and elements suggested that the two cavers had not been out. The scialet (gouffre) of Malaterre is a site very frequented by speleologists. It is located in about 1,400 meters above sea level.
Acknowledgement
The alert was given around 8:30 p.m. while the Spéléo Secours Isère association – an essential component of interventions in underground environments – presented at the same time a film on the 50 years of its history at the Palais des Sports in Grenoble as part of the Rencontres Ciné Montagne. The rescue operation was then triggered and rescuers went on site, in the Vercors, in the evening.
“The emergency services were immediately mobilized. The team of the reconnaissance and intervention group in perilous environments of the SDIS38 (Grimp38), the CRS Alpes, Speleo Rescue Isère, the high mountain gendarmerie platoon (PGHM) as well as the Villard-de-Lans gendarmerie brigade are on site and are currently carrying out a reconnaissance in the abyss” indicated the Prefecture of Isère in a press release.