Rescue teams estimate it will take between 36 to 48 hours to extract Ottavia Piana, a 32-year-old speleologist injured after falling into the Bueno Fonteno Abyss, a network of caves and tunnels located between Val Cavallina and Lake Iseo in the province of Bergamo. If all goes as planned, Piana could be brought out between Wednesday evening and early Thursday morning.
The rescue operations began on Saturday evening, following Piana’s fall while she was exploring an uncharted section of the cave with nine other cavers. This is not her first accident in the same cave; she had previously been rescued from a similar situation about a year ago. On Saturday, Piana fell approximately six meters while climbing a nearly vertical wet wall, sustaining injuries to her legs, chest, and face. Doctors involved in the rescue suspect she may have suffered fractures.
The incident occurred about four kilometers from the cave’s entrance, which takes six hours to reach and four to return through narrow passages and steep drops. After two of Piana’s companions raised the alarm around 10 p.m.—several hours after her fall—rescue teams from across Italy mobilized to assist. As of now, 126 alpine and cave rescue technicians have participated, transporting Piana on a stretcher while others work to clear pathways using hand drills and, in some cases, small explosives. While Piana’s condition is reported as stable and she remains conscious, she has been receiving energy-rich nutrition and pain relief to manage her discomfort during this arduous operation.
