A 31-year-old man has been pulled alive from a cave on the Italian island of Sardinia after being trapped roughly 10 metres below ground for 26 hours following a rockslide.

In a huge and complex operation, rescuers worked non-stop after 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 to the cave. She managed to escape unharmed and immediately raised the alarm.

Rescuers managed to reach Olmetto, who was conscious and responsive throughout the operation, by late Monday afternoon after manually removing rubble and earth blocking a narrow passage. They then proceeded with the delicate operation of removing the large amounts of debris that covered the caver before extracting him from the cavity. 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 in the rescue operation. A helicopter also provided materials and equipment needed to make the site secure.

In a message posted on social media, the council of Codrongianos, the town in north-west Sardinia where Olmetto is from, wrote that the past 24 hours were filled with “great anxiety for the entire community”.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and are hoping for good news soon,” the council said. “Our thoughts are with Luca and his family, and we extend our deepest gratitude to all the rescuers working tirelessly to bring him to safety. Hang in there, Luca – all of Codrongianos is with you.”

The Gorroppeddu cave is a largely unexplored natural cavity.

In a similar incident in December 2024, another explorer, Ottavia Piana, 32, became trapped while exploring a cave in the Bueno Fonteno caves close to Bergamo in northern Italy. She remained underground at roughly 600 metres for 75 hours before being freed. Piana suffered injuries including fractured vertebrae, ribs and facial bones. Her high profile rescue involved 160 specialists.