Speleologist Rescued for Second Time from Italian Cave System

Caver Ottavia Piana has been transported by air to a hospital following a demanding underground rescue operation within a cave network located in the Bergamo area of northern Italy. The 32-year-old Piana was exploring an previously unmapped section of the Abisso Bueno Fonteno cave on Saturday afternoon when a rock dislodged beneath her, causing her to fall approximately 5 to 6 meters (16-19 feet) and sustain injuries to her vertebrae, ribs, face, and knee. More than 150 volunteers, operating under the direction of Italy’s Alpine and cave rescue corps, participated in the effort. Her stretcher was extracted from the cave system around 03:00 (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Piana is a seasoned speleologist, and this incident marks the second occasion within a 17-month period that she has required rescue from this particular cave network. Giorgio Pannuzzo, a rescue volunteer who was with Piana at the time of the accident on Saturday, stated, “She’s tired, exhausted and in pain…We have succeeded.” He further informed Italian media, “There was a freezing wind right by the entrance [to the cave] and if we’d stopped she would have suffered even more from the cold. So we were in a rush.” At the moment of her fall, Piana was involved in an initiative aimed at mapping an unexplored section of the Abisso Bueno Fonteno cave system. The region situated between Lake Iseo and Lake Endine contains an extensive complex of caves, tunnels, and subterranean passages, most of which remain unexamined. Due to the nature of her injuries, rescue personnel described the operation as a critical race against time to extract her. Dozens of volunteers alternated carrying her stretcher and removing the numerous obstructions encountered. The team was required to traverse constricted tunnels and, on occasion, employ minor explosive charges to facilitate her removal. The CNSAS Alpine rescue service reported that 159 volunteers from 13 different Italian regions participated in the effort. The service stated, “The injured woman was constantly monitored and assisted by a total of six doctors and eight nurses,” adding, “The rescue operation went on uninterrupted for 75 hours.” While the rescue was underway, Piana conveyed to her attending physicians that she had no desire to re-enter the cave.