Rescuers guided duo around rattlesnake in mine

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A National Park Service official said rescuers guided two cousins around a rattlesnake and out of a mine shaft near Lake Mead after they reported they feared they would be bitten.

Park Service spokeswoman Christie Vanover said the cousins, ages 19 and 12, emerged unhurt just after noon Friday after they were instructed to hug an opposite wall to move past the coiled snake in the Ore Car Mine.

The two reported about 10:30 a.m. that the snake blocked their exit from the mine off Northshore Road.

Rangers from Lake Mead National Recreation Area and federal Bureau of Land Management officers were called to the scene, along with Las Vegas police and Henderson firefighters.

Rescuers who first made verbal contact with the pair said they had water and protein bars.