Researcher rescued after being injured inside the deepest cave in Texas
A researcher was rescued on Sunday after being injured inside one of the deepest Texas caves in Terrell County, officials said.
A research team was in Sorcerer’s Cave, Texas’ deepest cave at 567 feet, Saturday evening, when a rock broke loose during the ascent and struck a female researcher in the head about 6 p.m., according to Texas Game Wardens.
“Due to the cave’s depth and vertical layout, the group could not alert authorities until about 9 p.m.,” officials with Texas Game Wardens wrote in a social media post.
Texas Game Wardens, along with the Terrell County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Border Patrol BORSTAR, the Fort Stockton and Sanderson fire departments, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Sanderson EMS crew extricated the group about 5 a.m. Sunday, officials said.
The injured researcher was airlifted to a hospital in Odessa, officials said. Her condition was unknown.
This story was originally published February 15, 2026 at 2:27 PM.