Woman plummets 100 feet to her death while exploring Virginia cave

A woman has fallen 100 feet to her death while exploring inside a cave in Virginia, according to authorities.

The fall happened on Friday at approximately 4:13 p.m. when authorities at the Giles County Sheriff's Office 911 Dispatch Center received a call that a "female individual had fell approximately 100 feet within a cave in the Staffordsville Community outside of Pearisburg," according to a statement released by Giles County Emergency Services.

The circumstances surrounding what led up to the woman falling 100 feet to her death have not yet been released by officials, but authorities did confirm that the unnamed victim was found deceased upon their arrival at the scene of the accident.

"Giles County Sheriff's Office Deputies, Pearisburg Fire Department, and Giles Rescue Squad were dispatched, responded, and quickly identified the need for additional specialized resources," authorities said. "Celco Emergency Response team along with Blacksburg Rescue Squad's Technical Rescue Cave team were both requested, responded, and assisted with the rescue efforts."

Once the woman was located and she was pronounced dead, her body was extricated from the cave by rescue personnel working the incident.

The investigation into what led up to the accident is ongoing and remains an open investigation by the Giles County Sheriff's office.