Rescue triumphs: Speleologist saved from Italian cave ordeal
The rescue operation concluded successfully. Ottavia Piana was saved from a cave in northern Italy after being without daylight for four days.
Ottavia Piana, a 32-year-old speleologist, was rescued after spending four days in a cave in the Bergamo province of Italy. She suffered multiple fractures, including to her ribs and knee, after falling from a height of 16 feet while exploring an unknown section of the Bueno Fonteno cave.
The difficult operation has ended
The rescue operation commenced on the night of Saturday to Sunday (14-15 December) after Piana's team members reported her injury and entrapment deep within a tunnel. The task was exceptionally complex and hazardous due to the cave's narrow and unexplored passages. As many as 150 experienced rescuers from 13 regions of Italy participated in the mission.
Piana was transported to the surface on a stretcher by a team of rescuers, which included doctors and nurses who assessed her condition every 90 minutes. Finally, early on Wednesday morning, 18 December, she was safely brought to the surface.
A happy ending
Rescuers noted that Piana herself encouraged them.
"In the final stage, she motivated us," said Corrado Camerini from the Lombardy rescue team, quoted by uk.news.yahoo.com. "Our mountain rescue service is one of the most effective in Europe," he added.
Mauro Guiducci from the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps emphasised that the operation was challenging due to the cave's morphology.
"We were concerned about the woman's clinical condition as we worked," he stated at a press conference.
Federico Catania noted that Piana was well-prepared for the expedition.
After being brought out of the cave, Piana was airlifted to a hospital in Bergamo. Despite multiple injuries, her condition is stable. This is the second time in 17 months that she has required rescue from the same cave.
Source: Tgr Rai Lombardia/uk.news.yahoo.com
