A speleologist became trapped in a cave in northern Italy and was rescued after four days, reports The Guardian.
On Saturday, December 15, Ottavia Piana entered the Bueno Fonteno cave near Bergamo with eight other expedition members. She was exploring an uncharted area when she fell from a height of five meters, injuring her face, ribs, and knees. Rescuers were called to the scene, and for the next four days, over 150 specialists worked around the clock to bring the 32-year-old woman to safety. She had to be strapped to a stretcher and carried 4 km through narrow tunnels, clearing obstacles with explosives.
From time to time, the team paused to check if the injured woman remained conscious. Early Wednesday morning, December 18, she was extracted from the cave and airlifted to a hospital in Bergamo. It is known that this was already the second incident in the last 17 months where Piana had to be rescued from the same cave. The first time, she broke her leg and was trapped for two days. Now the scientist has stated that she wants to "leave speleology for good," as she is convinced that she "will never enter a cave again."
Earlier in the USA, firefighters rescued a climber who was hanging on a rock above a chasm.