
According to Bill Fry’s article, six officials had entered the tunnel system through Zedekiah’s Cave in an attempt to move the Ark into a different part of the cave system, and had died there after proceeding only 70 feet.
Ron was an anaesthetist, and recognised the symptoms of a stroke or a massive brain haemorrhage causing the death of all six people. Ron then dragged out the bodies of the dead men using a rescue basket.
Clearly God is protecting the Ark of the Covenant.