Ottavia Piana, 32, found herself trapped in an exploratory area of the Bueno Fonteno cave in northern Italy last Saturday afternoon.
Ottavia Piana, An injured cave explorer in northern Italy was carried to safety Wednesday, 75 hours after she fell while trying to map an unexplored branch of the Bueno Fonteno cave, alpine rescuers said.
Piana found herself stuck in a cave exploratory area last Saturday afternoon. The woman was constantly monitored and assisted by a total of 6 doctors and 8 nurses from the Alpine and Speleological Rescue Service.
A rescue operation that lasted 75 hours
Nearly 160 technicians from 13 Italian regions took part in the 24-hour rescue operations launched at midnight on Saturday, after members of the young woman’s team alerted her that she was injured and trapped deep in the tunnel.
Late Tuesday afternoon they reached the main tunnel and the final passage went much faster than expected, arriving at least 12 hours ahead of time.
Traveling through the narrow, unexplored part of the cave was particularly grueling. The video shows the young woman wrapped in blankets and strapped to a stretcher, being walked through narrow passageways by a team of helmeted rescuers, including doctors and nurses in turn. They stop every 90 minutes to assess his condition.
It was Ottavia Piana herself who encouraged her rescuers: “In the final stretch, she gave us the impetus,” said Corrado Camerini, from the Civil Hospitals of Brescia.
The final stage of the rescue operation went more smoothly than expected, and workers carrying Ottavia Piana, 32, strapped to a stretcher, reached the cave entrance in the early hours of the day. This is the second time in 17 months that she has been rescued from the cave located near Lake Iseo, northeast of Bergamo.
“Our goal is to do our job with results: the response from Soccorso alpino is what we expected. Our mountain rescue service is one of the most efficient in Europe and this has also proven it,” said continued Mr. Camerini.
Ottavia’s family also arrived in Fonteno.
The caver’s condition is stable
Ms. Piana suffered multiple fractures, including to her face, ribs and knee, when she was 5 meter fall as she explored an unexplored part of the cave on Saturday, doctors said.
His current condition is stable.
Bueno Fonteno Cave is located some 500 meters underground and the mapped area extends for 19 kilometers.
Once the woman was out of the cave, the stretcher was transferred by the alpine rescue and caving teams to an area where the firefighters had set up a suitable point for hoisting. Supported by the Areu 118 helicopter, the speleologist was transported to Bergamo hospital.
Additional sources • adaptation: Serge Duchêne