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Ky. search and rescue team saves 2 who fell at least 150 feet down cliff

One of the victims was in critical condition after falling 200 to 250 feet down a cliff at Lake Cumberland

By Mike Stunson
The Charlotte Observer

RUSSELL COUNTY, Ky. — Two people were rescued after they fell as much as 250 feet down a cliff in Kentucky, officials say.

The Russell County Search & Rescue team said “cries for help” were heard by witnesses after the pair fell Sunday, Nov. 24, from a cliff “in the Low Gap area of Lake Cumberland .”

One of the individuals fell about 150 feet and came to rest against a tree, rescuers said. The other person fell between 200 to 250 feet and was located in critical condition.

The search team scaled the cliff and used a rope system to lower the critical victim from a basket to a waiting boat. That individual was eventually flown to a hospital’s Level 1 trauma center, officials said.

The other victim, who had an “ankle injury and facial trauma,” was put into a rescue harness and helped down the cliff through the rope system before being treated for their injuries, according to the search and rescue team..

It’s unclear what led to the two falling down the cliff.

Rescuers said other Russell County first responders helped during the incident, as well as the Kentucky State Police, the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife and park rangers.

Russell County is about a 90-mile drive southwest of Lexington.

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