Happy ending in Sardinia: 31-year-old brought out alive after 26 hours in cave, watch rescue footage

Luca Olmeto, 31, remained trapped in the Gorropeddu cave in the central-eastern part of the Italian island of Sardinia after a landslide completely sealed the entrance on Sunday, October 11. At that moment he was about 10 meters underground and every exit route was cut off.

At the time of the incident, he was exploring the cave together with his partner, who was a few meters behind him. She managed to escape the collapse without injuries and immediately alerted the authorities.

After the alarm was raised, rescue teams launched a difficult intervention and worked without interruption to remove rocks and soil that had blocked the narrow passage. Throughout, Olmeto remained conscious and managed to communicate with rescue teams.

After 26 hours of efforts, the 31-year-old was brought to the surface alive on Monday afternoon, October 12, bringing a difficult rescue operation to a successful close.

Rai News reports that after he came to the surface, he was given first aid and then taken by helicopter to hospital for further checks and treatment.

Italy’s Fire Service also announced that the operation ended successfully and that the man was handed over to medical personnel after the rescue.

The operation was carried out under extremely difficult conditions due to the confined space and the rocks blocking the exit, while the fact that the 31-year-old had been underground for more than a day made the rescue mission even more delicate.