What had looked like it was going to be good news on Thanksgiving has turned into tragedy.

Authorities say a man stuck upside-down in a cave in Utah for more than a day died early Thursday, despite the efforts of dozens of rescuers.

According to Utah County Sheriff's spokesperson Sgt. Spencer Cannon, 26-year-old John Jones of Stansbury Park died around 12:30 a.m., nearly 28 hours after he became stuck 700 feet in the cave known as Nutty Putty.

Jones was a medical student at the University of Virginia.

Rescuers were next to Jones for much of the day but he was wedged too tightly in a small hole to pull him out or even reach through to assist him, Cannon told The Associated Press.

"They were right there with him, checking his vital signs," says Cannon. "They were able to get close enough to verify that he was deceased."

The six-foot tall, 190-pound spelunker got stuck with his head at an angle below his feet about 9 p.m. MST Tuesday. At times, more than 50 rescuers were involved in trying to free him.

The crevice where Jones was trapped was about 150 feet below ground in an L-shaped area of the cave known as "Bob's Push," which is only about 18-inches wide and ten-inches high, Cannon said.

The rescue effort at the cave, about 80 miles south of Salt Lake City, was slow throughout the day Wednesday with crews chipping away with air-powered tools in the narrow tunnel.

At one point late in the afternoon, Jones was freed from the crevice, only to fall back several feet into the tight space when a cord that was supporting him failed, Cannon said. Rescuers were able to get him food and water during that temporary freedom.

In the hours after he became wedged again, Jones' physical condition deteriorated.

The Associated Press provided some of the content in this story.