A 31-year-old speleologist has escaped from a dangerous entrapment in a Sardinian cave, pulled to safety after more than a full day trapped 10 meters below the surface following an unexpected rock collapse. Luca Olmetto, a cave researcher from the northwestern Sardinian town of Codrongianos, was exploring the remote Gorropeddu cave near Urzulei in central-eastern Sardinia when the rockslide struck him on Sunday afternoon.
The incident triggered a large-scale, high-stakes rescue operation coordinated by Italy’s National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps in partnership with local fire services. More than 100 emergency responders worked nonstop with meticulous care over 24 hours to reach Olmetto, navigating extremely tight, confined cave spaces that made the mission uniquely challenging. Responders manually cleared fallen rock debris block by block to access the cavity where Olmetto remained stranded, avoiding the risk of additional rockfalls that could have further endangered both the trapped researcher and the rescue team.
In a social media statement, the rescue corps confirmed that the operation was complete on Monday afternoon, with good news: Olmetto was found alive, conscious, and able to be freed from his underground confinement. After being stabilized on the surface, the speleologist was airlifted by rescue helicopter to a nearby hospital for mandatory medical evaluations and any required treatment.
Across Olmetto’s hometown of Codrongianos, the entire community held collective anxiety through the long hours of the rescue operation. In a public post shared after the successful rescue, Codrongianos’ municipal council acknowledged the tense wait: “After hours of great anxiety, the news that the entire Codrongianos was waiting for has finally arrived: Luca is out of the cave! It has been a difficult hour, during which the entire community has been on edge following the rescue operations.” The council also extended formal gratitude to the 100+ rescuers who worked tirelessly through challenging conditions to bring Olmetto back to safety.