MILAN (AP) – An injured cave explorer in northern Italy was carried to safety yesterday, 75 hours after she fell while attempting to map an unexplored branch of the Bueno Fonteno cave, alpine rescuers said.
The last leg of the rescue operation proceeded more smoothly than expected, and workers carrying 32-year-old Ottavia Piana strapped into a stretcher reached the cave’s mouth in the early morning hours. It was her second time in 17 months to be rescued from the cave near Lago d’Iseo northeast of Bergamo.
Piana suffered multiple fractures, including to her face, ribs and knee, when she fell five metres while exploring an uncharted part of the cave on Saturday, doctors said. The Bueno Fonteno cave is located some 500 metres below ground, with the mapped area reaching some 19 kilometres.
Removal through the narrow, uncharted part of the cave was especially harrowing. Video showed her wrapped in blankets and strapped to a stretcher being passed through narrow passageways by a team of helmeted rescuers, which included doctors and nurses on rotation. They stopped every 90 minutes to assess her condition.
