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Emergency services in Italy have rescued a cave explorer after she was injured and trapped underground for more than three days following a fall, bringing relief to Italians who have been following her fate. Ottavia Piana was carried out of the cave on a stretcher just before 3 a.m. on Wednesday and airlifted to a hospital in the northern city of Bergamo following a 75-hour rescue operation. Piana, 32, suffered injuries to her back and ribs and also has suspected fractures to facial bones and a knee after she fell around eight meters in the Abisso Bueno Fonteno cave network on Saturday. Rescuers said she was conscious but tired and clearly in pain when brought up to the surface after being trapped some 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) from the cave entrance. Piana, who is an experienced cave explorer, suffered a similar ordeal in July 2023 when she was trapped in the same cave network for around 40 hours after another accident.