Rescue workers struggle

Great fear for cave explorer in northern Italy

Symbolic image

(Bild: Oxygen64 stock.adobe)

Around 100 people are involved in a rescue operation in the Italian region of Bergamo to bring cave explorer Ottavia Piana to safety - she has been trapped in the "Abisso Bueno Fonteno" cave since Saturday after a fall.

Two doctors reached the 32-year-old from Brescia on Sunday afternoon, who had suffered several leg fractures as well as injuries to her chest and face.

According to media reports, helpers from various northern Italian regions, including South Tyrol, took part in the rescue operation, which continued on Monday night. The researcher was exploring a new part of the cave when she slipped around eight meters while descending into a narrow tunnel and injured herself. The other cavers accompanying her then tried to reach the exit to raise the alarm.

Explosives are to be used to clear the way to the explorer
Explosives, which are being used carefully and in a targeted manner, are also to be used to clear the way to rescue the woman. She is expected to be taken out of the cave on a stretcher later on Monday.

Ottavia Piana is a member of the Cai di Lovere alpine group (Bergamo). She is involved in the "Sebino Project", which has been mapping this still mysterious cave in the northern part of Lake Iseo for several years.

An Alpine rescue team installed a telephone line through a cable about three kilometers long that allows communication between the inside of the cave and its exterior: about four hours of distance lie between the entrance of the cave and the place where the injured person is located. Piana was already trapped in the same cave in July 2023. She had to hold out for two days before she could be freed.