5 tourists are trapped about 60 meters underground in the caves of the Grand Canyon of Arizona.

Visitors walk along a trail during a guided tour of Grand Canyon Caverns on June 14, 2016 in Beech Springs, Arizona. Officials said five people have been trapped below the surface at the tourist spot since Sunday. (Credit: Mark Henle/USA TODAY/Image/File)

(CNN) — Five people have been trapped about 200 feet underground in Grand Canyon caves since Sunday in Beech Springs, Arizona, authorities said.

According to John Paxton, a spokesman for the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, the elevator malfunctioned and the group was stranded at the tourist site.

“Yesterday when five people were coming out of the caves the lift was not working. Believing it was an electrical problem, they brought a generator. This is not an electrical problem. It’s a mechanical issue,” Paxton told CNN.

Officials don’t know how long it will take to repair the elevator, and the group is staying in a motel suite at the base of the resort, about 100 km northeast of Kingman, Paxton said.

“The cave houses people in a motel, there’s a little restaurant downstairs, and the motel works to make people as comfortable as possible while they’re there,” he added.

There are approximately 21 stairs leading down with platforms and ladders, Paxton said. But some of those trapped were not physically able to climb the stairs.

“We have a search and rescue team on standby, as well as a hoist to get people out if repairs take longer than expected or if people are not comfortable staying there,” Paxton said.

CNN has contacted The Grand Canyon Caverns for more details.

Grand Canyon Caverns is a tourist attraction that allows visitors to tour the interior of an ancient underground cave, dine and stay in a motel, according to its website.