Luca Olmetto, 31, was pulled alive from the Gorroppeddu cave in the Urzulei mountains of Sardinia (Italy's large Mediterranean island) after a rockslide sealed the entrance and left him trapped about 10 metres underground for 26 hours. His girlfriend, who was just behind him, escaped unharmed and raised the alarm, prompting a round-the-clock operation by roughly 48 cave rescue specialists, 30 firefighters and civil protection staff. He stayed conscious throughout and was airlifted to hospital after being stabilised, a rescue that recalls the 75-hour ordeal of Ottavia Piana in a northern Italian cave in December 2024.