Gorropu Cave, Sardinia. Photo: Shutterstock A dramatic rescue operation, which lasted over a day, ended yesterday early in the evening with a great sigh of relief: Luca Olmetto, a 31-year-old speleologist from the province of Sassari, who was trapped in a narrow underground cave in the area of the town of Urzulei in Sardinia, was rescued alive and conscious.
The drama began on Sunday, October 11, when Olmato got stuck in a complex rocky cavity and was unable to get out on his own. His traveling partner, who managed to get out of the cave before the collapse, called the rescue forces. Upon receiving the report, a joint rescue team was established on the spot and an exhausting battle against the clock began.
The town of Orsoglio, located in a wild mountainous area in central-eastern Sardinia, is known for its deep and complex cave systems. However, caving in this area comes with many dangers: extremely narrow underground passages that require prolonged crawling, conditions of total darkness, and high humidity levels that drastically increase the risk of hypothermia. In this case, the main and most immediate danger was the instability of the cave's rocks; a sudden collapse of a rock wall blocked the explorer's exit route about 10 meters underground, and exposed rescue teams to the constant threat of further secondary collapses during evacuation attempts.
The complex operation involved special forces from the Italian Fire Brigade (Vigili del Fuoco) alongside experts from the National Alpine and Mountain Rescue Service (CNSAS). The rescuers had to operate in extremely difficult conditions, while carefully excavating by hand to prevent further tremors and collapses.
After 26 consecutive hours of strenuous physical work below the surface, the teams managed to widen the passage, reach the trapped man, and bring him to the surface yesterday, October 12, at around 6:00 PM.
Upon his exit from the cave, Olmato was greeted with enthusiastic applause by his friends and rescue teams. He was immediately transferred to the field for initial medical treatment by paramedics, and from there he was airlifted to the hospital for further tests and treatment.
The commander of the fire brigade in the area praised the heroic cooperation between the organizations and said: "This was an extraordinarily complex operation, but it was the determination of the rescuers that saved lives."