Man rescued from Sardinian cave after 26 hours trapped

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 06:44 · Archive

A 31-year-old man was pulled alive from a cave in Sardinia after being trapped for 26 hours by a rockslide.

Luca Olmetto, 31, was exploring the Gorroppeddu cave in the Urzulei mountain range in central-eastern Sardinia on Sunday afternoon when a rockslide trapped him roughly 10 metres below ground. His girlfriend was a few metres behind him and narrowly missed the collapse, which completely blocked the entrance to the cave. She escaped unharmed and immediately raised the alarm.

Rescuers from Italy's National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps and the local fire department worked non-stop to reach him. About 48 experts and 30 firefighters, as well as civil protection staff, were deployed to the site. They manually removed rubble and earth from a narrow passage to reach Olmetto by late Monday afternoon. The corps described it as a 'particularly complex operation' involving 'extremely confined' spaces. They then cleared large amounts of debris covering him before extracting him from the cavity.

Olmetto remained conscious and responsive throughout the operation. He reached the surface just after 6pm local time on Monday, where medical staff stabilised him before he was airlifted by helicopter to hospital for medical checks and treatment. The council of Codrongianos, the town in north-west Sardinia where Olmetto is from, said the 24 hours had been filled with 'great anxiety for the entire community'.

How it is being reported

• Man in Italy rescued after more than 26 hours trapped in caveLuca Olmetto, 31, was exploring the Gorroppeddu cave in central-eastern Sardinia on Sunday when a rock collapse left him stuck about 10m below the surfaceIndependent World · 13 Oct, 06:23
• Man rescued from cave on Sardinia after being trapped by rockslide for 26 hoursLuca Olmetto was trapped roughly 10 metres below ground in the Gorroppeddu cave in the Urzulei mountain range A 31-year-old man has been pulled alive from a cave on the Italian island of Sardinia after being trapped roughly 10 metres below ground for 26 hours following a rockslide. In a huge and complex operation, rescuers worked non-stop after Luca Olmetto became trapped in the Gorroppeddu cave in the rugged Urzulei mountain range in central-eastern Sardinia on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading...The Guardian · 12 Oct, 18:40

In this story: Luca Olmetto · Sardinia · Gorroppeddu cave · Urzulei · Codrongianos · National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps

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