After almost 24 hours of excavation and delicate manual removal of the material that was blocking access to the cavity, the technicians of the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps, working together with the Fire Brigade, reached the speleologist who was stuck inside the cave on the border between the municipal territories of Urzulei and Baunei (NU), in Sardinia. Luca Olmetto, the 31-year-old speleologist originally from Codrongianos (Sassari), is however still immobilized by the debris covering him and has trauma and wounds.
For almost 24 hours he has been stuck in the Gorropeddu cave, a little-known cavity in the Urzulei area, in Ogliastra. At the entrance, the vault gave way. The collapsed material closed the only way out and he remained inside.
The alarm was raised by the expedition companion who together with Olmetto was exploring the cave in the Urzulei area. The woman managed to get out before the collapse and thus alert the rescuers yesterday.
Simone Alessandrini, communication manager of the alpine and speleological rescue, explains to Repubblica that "it is an exploration cave. Essentially the presence of the cave and the entrance are known, but the exit is not always known. If they were in those caves, they were speleologists with experience behind them. The cause of the collapse is not known. For now both the alpine and speleological rescue and the firefighters, jointly, have been doing a great job all night to try to recover it. First it must be made safe the scene, then we need to dismantle and free it in order to recover the trapped person. Luca is conscious, in contact with the doctors, we cannot physically pass water or anything else, but we know that he is blocked by various debris".
Rescuers must therefore consolidate the walls by positioning containment boards, to avoid further collapse and allow advancement in safer conditions. The arrival of a helicopter is expected which will transport further materials and equipment necessary to make the environment safe, with the aim of allowing rescuers to reach the man and proceed with the removal of the earth and stones under which he is stuck.
After freeing the entrance to the cavity, the technicians are now proceeding with the delicate manual removal of the material blocking the tunnel in which the speleologist is found, still trapped under the debris. The operations take place in an extremely restricted environment, with a work space of approximately 1.5 meters by 1.5 metres, characterized by highly unstable conditions.
This cave "never explored, probably wanted to be mapped, or analyzed for scientific reasons, by speleologists. The timing to save it? Complex. The environment is very delicate, complications from further collapses must be avoided. The area is difficult to reach: in general, for rescues of this type, it could take several hours, sometimes as has already happened even days. We must have patience and trust in the work of the rescuers".
Since the alarm was raised, the rescue efforts have not stopped: around 80 technicians who worked throughout the night continue to do so this morning. The teams involved in the operations, who are digging to free a safe passage, managed to speak directly with the speleologist, confirming that the man is alive, conscious and able to communicate, an element that fuels the hope of a positive conclusion to the intervention.
A base camp has been set up on site and an impressive rescue device has been deployed: dozens of specialists from the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps, supported by the firefighters, as mentioned, are working tirelessly.
