The seven speleologists blocked yesterday in the flooded cave during an exploration in the cavity of Ispinigoli, in the municipality of Dorgali, were rescued this morning. They are all in good health, despite a whole night spent in the cold and dark.

The National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps (CNSAS) started the intervention yesterday late in the evening, around 10.15 pm when a friend of the speleologists, informed of the exploration and worried about the delay, called for help.

The specialized technicians from the Nuoro station left immediately. Divided into teams, they first went to check the entrance to Ispinigoli and those of the connected caves (Sos Iocos and Su Anzu) to check if the group was leaving one of the three entrances. The Ispinigoli cave, in fact, is part of a larger complex of three natural cavities that extend for 18 kilometers.

But the seven were not found, so the rescuers went into the Ispinigoli cave. The first team crossed the touristic part, abseiled into the first shaft and laid the cable for telephone communications between the inside and outside of the cave.

Then at 4.30 in the morning a team of speleos dived from the entrance of Su Anzu, a completely flooded cavity, and around 5 they managed to find the seven speleologists. All cold, but they are fine, they reassure the rescuers.

The program of the seven, who entered from Ispinigoli, was to leave Su Anzu, which they found completely flooded. Therefore they could not continue.

They were tracked down over a kilometer from the entrance to the other cavity of Sos Jocos: they came out of there independently with the support of the Alpine Rescue and Speleological team. The cave diving team, after informing the base camp, entered again with watertight bags containing food and warm clothing, while another team joined them from the entrance to Sos Jocos and then accompanied them to the exit.

There, waiting for them they found the volunteers of the Green Cross of Dorgali who checked their health conditions.

About thirty technicians from the stations of Nuoro, Sassari, Iglesias and Cagliari are involved in the recovery maneuver. The Carabinieri of the Nuoro station were also present on site.