Man Trapped for Hours in Merlin’s Cave Freed by Rangers Using Hammer and Drill

A man from Brooklyn is safe after spending nearly six hours trapped inside Merlin’s Cave in upstate Columbia County, where he slipped and became stranded in frigid conditions.

State forest rangers responded to the scene and found the man shivering inside the cave. Officials say the temperature was so cold that he had started to become seriously affected by the exposure.

To free him, rangers used a hammer and a drill to remove portions of the surrounding rock. The man was successfully extracted after the painstaking effort.

Authorities have not released the man’s name. The incident underscores the dangers of caving in cold weather and the swift action required by rescue teams in remote state forest lands.