Luca Olmetto became trapped in the Gorroppeddu cave in the rugged Urzulei mountain range in central-eastern Sardinia on Sunday afternoon. He had been exploring the cave with his girlfriend, who was a few metres behind him and narrowly missed the collapse, which completely blocked the entrance. She escaped unharmed and immediately raised the alarm.
Rescuers managed to reach Olmetto by late Monday afternoon after manually removing rubble and earth blocking a narrow passage. They then proceeded with the delicate operation of removing large amounts of debris covering the caver before extracting him. According to Rai News, Olmetto was brought to the surface just after 6pm CET and stabilised by medical staff before being airlifted to hospital.
About 48 experts from Sardinia’s Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps and 30 firefighters, as well as civil protection staff, were involved. A helicopter provided materials and equipment needed to secure the site.
In a message posted on social media, the council of Codrongianos, the town in north-west Sardinia where Olmetto is from, described the past 24 hours as filled with “great anxiety for the entire community” and thanked all rescuers working “tirelessly to bring him to safety.”
The Gorroppeddu cave is a largely unexplored natural cavity. The incident echoes a similar rescue in December 2024, when explorer Ottavia Piana was freed after 75 hours trapped in the Bueno Fonteno caves near Bergamo.