Sardinia: caver rescued after collapse
On 11 October, caver Luca Olmetto was exploring the Gorropeddu cave near Urzulei in eastern Sardinia with his partner. A collapse struck about ten metres below the surface. His partner got out and called for help; Luca remained underground, pinned by debris.
The rescue then began. CNSAS cave rescuers, firefighters and USAR specialists worked by hand to clear the entrance and the narrow passage to the collapse, while shoring up unstable walls. Their workspace was about 1.5 by 1.5 metres, with the risk of another collapse always present.
Two Italian Air Force helicopters joined the operation that evening, moving rescuers and equipment to the cave area. During the night, the teams made contact with Luca: he was alive and conscious. Then came the long task of clearing a route centimetre by centimetre.
On 12 October, rescuers finally reached him, freed him from the debris, stabilised him and brought him to the surface. After nearly 27 hours trapped underground, Luca was handed to medics and flown to hospital — injured, but alive and conscious.
Sources: Vigili del Fuoco — Salvato lo speleologo rimasto bloccato in una grotta a UrzuleiAeronautica Militare — supporto al soccorso dello speleologo a UrzuleiANSA — Estratto vivo lo speleologo bloccato nella grotta in Sardegna
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