Speleologist Ottavia Piana, 32, Rescued After 75 Hours Trapped in Italian Cave

Dec 18, 2024, 07:08 AM

Speleologist Ottavia Piana, a 32-year-old from Brescia, was rescued early Wednesday after being trapped for 75 hours in the Abisso Bueno Fonteno cave in northern Italy's Bergamo region. Piana fell from a height of six meters while exploring the underground labyrinth on Saturday afternoon, sustaining multiple fractures. A team of 159 rescue technicians from 13 regions, including rescuers Giorgio and Enrico Rino Bregani, worked tirelessly to extract her. The rescue operation concluded at 3:15 am when Piana, immobilized on a stretcher, was brought to the surface. She was airlifted to a hospital in Bergamo. Exhausted and in pain, Piana is recovering from her ordeal. This marks the second time she has been rescued from the same cave in as many years.