Overview
- Rescue teams completed the recovery around 9 p.m., ending an hours-long operation in the Swabian Alb cave near Grabenstetten.
- Police said the man died from a medical emergency while underground rather than from injury or rising water.
- The group had ventured about 1,300 meters into the cave with six visitors and three guides when trouble began, according to the local mayor.
- Only one guide could reach rescuers to place an emergency call at about 10:30, and crews then faced a 1.5‑hour approach on foot, vertical drops, and no mobile reception inside.
- Access to the cave has been banned since 2018 without a municipal exemption that requires proof of insurance for rescue costs, a rule set after past incidents including a 2019 rescue and a recent May operation.