An Italian grandmother survived five days lost in the Alps by drinking rainwater and befriending a fox after falling into a ravine, it has emerged.
Giuseppina Bardelli, 89, disappeared while mushroom hunting in the mountains near her home in the village of Monterecchio, in the Italian region of Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca, on the border with Switzerland, on August 21.
Disoriented and dizzy, Giuseppina fell 20 feet into a fern-covered ravine, breaking two ribs and puncturing a lung after becoming separated from her son, Sergio, while searching for food.
Sergio called the emergency services who sent rescue teams, drones and even helicopters before they managed to locate the elderly woman in the forest near the Swiss border four days later.
Her other son, Roberto, told Corriere della Sera how his mother managed to survive: “She drank rainwater that she found in puddles. At night she slept under trees, using the vegetation to cover herself.
‘The fox approached her several times, sniffing her curiously. They became friends.’
Giuseppina Bardelli, 89, disappeared while mushroom hunting in the mountains near her home in the village of Monterecchio, in the Italian region of Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca, on the border with Switzerland, on August 21.
Sergio called the emergency services who sent rescue teams, drones and helicopters and managed to locate the old woman in the forest near the Swiss border four days later.
Disoriented and dizzy, Giuseppina fell 20 feet into a fern-covered ravine, breaking two ribs and puncturing a lung after becoming separated from her son, Sergio, while searching for food.
She said that Giuseppina spoke to the fox and said: “Don’t do anything to me. I’m fine, I’m calm.”
“And every night she prayed the rosary. She knew that every day could be her last,” Roberto added about his mother’s survival in the forest.
She also said she burst into tears when her mother was found alive, adding: “The joy was immense.”
He said his mother, who was hospitalized after being rescued from her 20-foot fall, is now “doing pretty well.”
“The slope was three times deeper. She could have been seriously injured,” Roberto said. “It’s a miracle and that’s it. We cried buckets.”
Firefighter Silvio Rizzelli, who coordinated the search team, told local media: “She was hiding in a deep ravine, full of tall vegetation. She couldn’t see us and we couldn’t see her.”
The breakthrough came on Sunday morning, when rescuers were considering abandoning the search.
“After finding her, my men reported that Mrs. Bardelli was tired but completely lucid. This was great news and surprising that a person of her age could resist.”