- The speleologist, who was stuck in a cave in northern Italy for several days, was rescued with serious injuries.
- The 32-year-old fell while exploring the Abisso Bueno Fonteno cave near Bergamo on Saturday and was unable to get out.
Wrapped up tightly and tied tightly on a stretcher, several rescuers lifted the injured cave explorer Ottavia Piana through the narrow and slippery passages of the Abisso Bueno Fonteno cave in northern Italy. Centimeter by centimeter they make their way in the light of their headlamps. After a lengthy mission, they have finally made it – early on Wednesday morning they reach the exit of the deep cave with Piana.
At 2:59 a.m., the 32-year-old was breathing fresh air again – a helicopter was waiting in the air outside, which pulled her up using a cable winch and then took her to the hospital. The woman was seriously injured in her crash at the weekend. According to the rescuers, she suffered spinal and rib injuries as well as injuries to her face.
Over a hundred helpers were temporarily on duty.
Keystone/Photo by Spada/LaPresse via AP
In the end it went faster than expected: the climb to the exit of the cave was actually expected late on Wednesday evening or even on Thursday morning. Surprisingly, however, the rescuers managed to complete the final section of the labyrinth faster than originally planned. The rescue mission lasted around 75 hours in total.
Huge cave labyrinth on Lake Iseo
The elaborate operation has been running since Saturday in the labyrinth of caves on the northern shore of Lake Iseo between Bergamo and Brescia. The researcher was traveling through the extensive cave with several other companions to explore the previously unknown part. While descending into a narrow tunnel, she apparently lost her footing and slipped several meters down.
More than 150 specialized mountain and cave rescuers from other regions took part in the rescue. This turned out to be extremely difficult.
Heaved through corridors tightly strapped to a stretcher
Rescuers and medics reached Piana at the weekend and set up a heated base camp. In order to be able to communicate with the outside world from the depths, a telephone line was laid from the surface to the scene of the accident. The rescue mission then began: Piana was tied tightly to a stretcher and carried through the corridors.
In some areas of the cave you can walk with the stretcher resting on your shoulders, in other areas it is passed from hand to hand, especially in the narrowest gorges. In these areas, rescuers also work while sitting, carrying the stretcher over their knees.
The researcher was in a stable condition throughout the entire mission. However, it is still unclear how serious their injuries are. Piana was only allowed to be carried in a horizontal position.
Extremely complicated to use in confined spaces
A rescuer told the newspaper “Corriere della Sera” how complicated the operation was: “In some areas of the cave you can walk and the stretcher rests on your shoulders, in other areas it is passed from hand to hand, especially in the narrowest ones Gorges. In these areas, rescuers also work while sitting, carrying the stretcher over their knees.
The rescue mission lasted around 75 hours in total.
Keystone
Researcher was already trapped in the cave once
The young woman was already trapped in the same cave in July 2023. She injured her leg in a fall and had to be brought out of the cave into the open air in a difficult rescue mission. At that time she was rescued after two days and taken to the hospital.
However, Piana no longer wants to go back to a cave after the recent crash. She already confided in a doctor involved in the operation that she never wanted to enter a cave again.
