Rock Fall Kills Caver in Yorkshire’s Bull Pot

A sheep farm at the top of Kingsdale. Photo by Dave Dunford/Wikimedia

A caver was killed by a large rock fall in Yorkshire’s Bull Pot, near Kingsdale, on Thursday, February 12th.

The 50-year-old male victim was near the top of the fifth pitch when the incident occurred.

Called out at 6:35pm, Clapham’s Cave Rescue Organisation teams spent eight hours using a variety of rock removal techniques to extract the body before bringing it up to the surface.

From there it was stretchered down to rendezvous with the Police at the roadside in Kingsdale.

The victim’s identity has not been released.

This incident marks the 8th call out of the year for the CRO, who simultaneously responded to a search missing woman in Bentham—she was found by a police helicopter.

Update: In an interview with the Yorkshire Post, Rae Lonsdale, duty controller from the Cave Rescue Organisation who attended the incident explained that man was killed after a large block of limestone unexpectedly fell on top of him.

The limestone measured around one metre and a half, by one metre, by half a metre, and weighs a considerable amount – well over a ton.

Unfortunately, the caver was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, the rock dropped down, hit him on the back of his neck and killed him instantly.

His caving companion tried to help, he felt for a pulse on the arm that was free, but when he realised there was nothing he could do he came out of the cave and called the police.

This rock has been there for thousands of years, and hundreds of other people have crawled underneath it without anything happening before.

It’s a tragic accident.Rae Lonsdale, Cave Rescue Organisation Duty Controller

Update 2: The Visitor has released the name of the deceased caver; Gordon Aitken. His funeral will be held on February 26.

Incident 08/2015 – Feb 12 Thu 18.35 Bull Pot, Kingsdale, North Yorkshire [Cave Rescue Organisation]