A cave that was trapped underground for more than three days has been freed.
According to the UK 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 areas of the Bueno Fonteno cave near Bergamo when she fell five meters after a rock shelf collapsed beneath her.
The fall resulted in permanent fractures to her ribs, knee and face.
According to the BBCThe Italian Alpine and Cave Rescue Group led the rescue operation, involving 150 volunteers.
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Ottavia Piana saves him
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Per The TimesRescuers said earlier Tuesday that Piana would not be able to reach the surface until Wednesday night.
However, after concerns about her injuries grew, the rescue process was accelerated and the cave was moved through 4km of narrow tunnels.
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National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Organization
The rescue mission for Ottavia Piana
In a video divided by X (formerly Twitter) by local media TGR Rai Lombardia, rescuers slipped Piana out of the cave while she was tied to a climber.
“The last section was covered faster than expected due to the removal of obstacles in different parts of the cave and because doctors have decided to avoid long stops,” the alpine rescue service said. Italy. The Times.
Piana was then taken to hospital via helicopter.
“She is tired, exhausted and in pain… We have succeeded,” rescue volunteer Giorgio Pannuzzo, who was with Piana on Saturday at the time of the accident, told Italian media, according to the BBC. There was a freezing wind right next to the entrance (to the cave) and if we had stopped she would have suffered more from the cold. So we were in a hurry.”
Piana also had to be rescued from the same tunnels back in June 2023 after a falling rock broke her leg, each The Times. The cave was saved during a two-day operation.
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