“She is tired, exhausted and in pain… We have succeeded,” said Giorgio Panuzza, a rescue volunteer who was with her at the time of the accident on Saturday.
“A freezing wind was blowing near the entrance (of the cave) and if we stopped, it would have suffered even more from the cold. So we were in a hurry,” he told the Italian media.
Piano was involved in a project to map a previously unknown area of the Abyss-Buen-Fontain cave system when she fell.
The area between Lakes Iseo and Endin consists of a network of caves, tunnels and underground galleries, most of which have never been explored.
Rescuers spoke of a race against time to pull her out because of her injuries. Dozens of volunteers took turns carrying her stretcher and removed numerous obstacles that stood in their way.
They had to navigate narrow tunnels and sometimes use small explosive charges to pull her out.
The CNSAS Alpine Rescue Service reported that 159 volunteers from 13 Italian regions took part in the operation. “The injured woman was constantly monitored and assisted by a total of six doctors and eight nurses,” the report said. “The rescue operation continued continuously for 75 hours.”
During the operation, Piana told the doctors that she never wanted to enter the cave again.
