A caver who was trapped underground for more than three days has been released.
According to the British newspaper The timesOttavia Piana was rescued from a cave in northern Italy at 3am local time on Wednesday, December 18, after being trapped since Saturday, December 14.
The outlet reports that the 32-year-old had been exploring the Bueno Fonteno caves near Bergamo when she fell five meters after a rock shelf collapsed beneath her.
The fall left her with fractures to her ribs, knee and face.
According to the BBC, the Italian Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps led the rescue operation, which included 150 volunteers.
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Ottavia Piana is rescued
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Per The timesRescuers said earlier on Tuesday that Piana would not be able to reach the surface until Wednesday evening.
However, after concerns about her injuries increased, the rescue process was accelerated and the caver was moved through four kilometers of narrow tunnels.
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Corpo Nazionale Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico
The rescue mission for Ottavia Piana
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In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by local media outlet TGR Rai Lombardia, rescuers let Piana slide out of the cave while she was strapped to a stretcher.
“The last part was completed faster than expected thanks to the preventive removal of obstacles in several parts of the cave and because doctors decided to avoid long breaks,” the Italian Alpine Rescue Service said. The times.
Piana was then taken to hospital by helicopter.
“She is tired, exhausted and in pain… We did it,” rescue volunteer Giorgio Pannuzzo, who was with Piana at the time of the accident on Saturday, told Italian media, according to the BBC. “There was an icy wind right at the entrance [to the cave] and if we had stopped she would have suffered even more from the cold. So we were in a hurry.”
Piana also had to be rescued from the same tunnels in June 2023 after a rock fell and broke her leg, per The times. The caver was rescued during a two-day operation.
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