Rescuers in Italy working to free cave explorer trapped underground

MILAN (AP) — A major rescue operation was underway Monday in a cave northeast of the Italian city of Bergamo to free a woman who was injured in a fall and became trapped while exploring with eight other people.

Ottavia Piana, 32, remained blocked deep inside the Bueno Fonteno cave, where the temperatures were ranging from 7 degrees Celsius to 8 degrees Celsius (44-46 degrees Fahrenheit) in high humidity.

Piana, considered an expert cave explorer, was injured after falling some 5 meters (16 feet) Saturday evening during an expedition to map a kilometer (half a mile) of an uncharted branch of the cave, but rescuers said she is alert and responsive.

She suffered multiple traumas, including to the face, ribs and knee, rescuers said.

Members of her team reported her missing after reaching the surface Saturday evening, and rescuers reached her late Sunday. They are using small explosives in an attempt to breach the last 100 meters (yards) to reach her.

A spokesman for rescue operation, Mauro Guiducci, said it was impossible to foresee how long it would take to free Piana.

“One thing is certain, these kinds of operations are very long,’’ Guiducci said, adding that a team of 20 technicians were operating inside the cave and dozens more were assisting above ground.

Emergency cervices attend a rescue operation to free Ottavia Piana, an expert spelunker who was trapped while exploring the cave of Bueno Fonteno, near Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 (Photo by Spada/LaPresse via AP)

This image released Monday, Dec. 16, 2024 by the Italian Soccorso Alpino (Alpine Rescue) shows the rescue operation of Ottavia Piana, a caver blocked in a deep inside the Bueno Fonteno cave, near Bergamo, Italy, after falling some 5 meters (16 feet) Saturday evening during an expedition. (Soccorso Alpino via AP)

This image released Monday, Dec. 16, 2024 by the Italian Soccorso Alpino (Alpine Rescue) shows the rescue operation of Ottavia Piana, a caver blocked in a deep inside the Bueno Fonteno cave, near Bergamo, Italy, after falling some 5 meters (16 feet) Saturday evening during an expedition. (Soccorso Alpino via AP )

Emergency cervices attend a rescue operation to free Ottavia Piana, an expert spelunker who was trapped while exploring the cave of Bueno Fonteno, near Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 (Photo by Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Thousands of Catholic devotees commemorated Good Friday across Latin America with processions and ceremonies re-enacting the crucifixion of Jesus.

In Antigua, a colonial-era city in southern Guatemala, dozens dressed in purple and white robes and made their way under the early morning sun, many of them penitents known as “cucuruchos.” Others carried centuries-old images of Jesus through cobblestone streets.

The city hosts more than a dozen processions throughout Holy Week, set against a backdrop of volcanoes.

Marcos Bautista, 63, said he has attended the Good Friday observances since his father brought him along as a baby in his arms.

“To describe Holy Week in Antigua, there are no words that can capture what it feels like," Bautista said. “It’s a feeling that, just by speaking about what Jesus has done in our lives, moves me deeply.”

In Bolivia, President Rodrigo Paz traveled to the southern city of Tarija to participate in Good Friday ceremonies.

The country is a secular state under its constitution and its leaders refrained from engaging in any religious events between 2006 and 2025. But Paz — who took office last November — broke with precedent by attending Palm Sunday Mass carrying a palm frond.

In the capital city of La Paz, government authorities and military bands accompanied Good Friday processions, in which hooded penitents carried the Holy Sepulcher through the streets.

Bolivia remains a predominantly Catholic country, alongside strong Indigenous spiritual traditions. In some households, it is customary to eat only fish on Good Friday and prepare up to 12 dishes representing the apostles of Jesus, a tradition that has declined in recent years amid an economic crisis.

In Ecuador, where about 80% of the population identifies as Catholic, processions were held across major cities.

In Guayaquil, roughly half a million faithful attended the “Cristo del Consuelo” procession. Amid displays of devotion, some participants walked barefoot, while others wore thorn crowns or dragged crosses.

In the capital, Quito, the “Jesús del Gran Poder” procession drew more than 150,000 faithful, who filled the historic center’s streets with chants and prayers as they accompanied an image of Jesus carrying the cross.

Thousands more climbed the Monserrate Hill in neighboring Colombia. At more than 10,200 feet (3,100 meters) above sea level, they reached the summit in the capital city of Bogotá to attend Mass at the basilica. Similar observances, including reenactments of the Stations of the Cross, were held in other parts of the country, including Medellín.

While the share of Catholics in Latin America has declined over the past decade, the faith remains the region’s largest religion.

In several countries, including Mexico, Peru and Argentina, more than 60% of adults still identify as Catholic, according to 2024 surveys by the Pew Research Center and Latinobarómetro.

AP journalists Moisés Castillo in Antigua, Guatemala; Carlos Valdez in La Paz, Bolivia; Gonzalo Solano and Gabriela Molina, in Quito, Ecuador, contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Penitents from the Nazareno brotherhood carry a statue of Jesus down the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle for a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Tunja, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

A hooded penitent from the Nazareno brotherhood waits for the Good Friday procession inside the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle during Holy Week in Tunja, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Young women and girls carry jeweled hearts representing the Virgin Mary at a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Hooded penitents participate in a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

A statue of Jesus Christ with a cross makes its way past electric cables at La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Women carry children dressed as penitents knows as "cucuruchos" on the sidelines of La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Penitents carry statues of Jesus Christ representing the Stations of the Cross at a Good Friday procession by La Merced church during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, just before sunrise Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Musicians dressed as Roman soldiers take part in La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)