A significant search operation is currently in progress following the disappearance of four individuals who entered an abandoned mine just before a fire erupted. The group was last spotted entering the quarry at Elm Cross Yard in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, on Wednesday. Emergency services were alerted to smoke emerging from the tunnels around 7 pm on the same day.
Authorities expressed concerns about the missing persons potentially still being inside the mine, with worries about the effects of inhalation on their well-being. Despite a nine-hour search effort, the individuals have not been located yet.
Numerous fire crews from Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge, Melksham, Corsham, and Westbury were dispatched to the scene, along with police, local ambulance teams, and the South Western Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) based in Bristol.
The fire was extinguished using a hose reel jet, and gas monitors and thermal imaging cameras were employed during the operation. Chief Inspector Ben Huggins emphasized the dangers of exploring mines and urged the public to steer clear of such hazardous locations.
The tunnels are part of a former limestone quarry spanning approximately 10 acres, which served as a storage facility during World War Two and later transformed into a mushroom farm. Ongoing investigations aim to identify the individuals involved in the incident.