
A 47-year-old Maltese woman has sustained spinal injuries and a severe head injury on Sunday after slipping off a sled inside a crater on Sicily’s Mount Etna, according to Italian media reports.
The woman suffered multiple bruises and abrasions and was rescued from the Silvestri crater by the Sicilian Alpine and Speleological Rescue (CNSAS) from Etna’s south station.
Due to fog and heavy snowfall, a helicopter evacuation was not possible. Instead, rescuers transported her by stretcher to the crater’s edge before she was taken to hospital by ambulance. She is currently receiving treatment at Cannizzaro Hospital in Catania.
She was one of several people rescued that day. A woman from Augusta sustained a suspected hand fracture after a sledding accident, while a 49-year-old woman from Milazzo required assistance after falling ill.
Taking to Facebook, the CNSAS stated that the Maltese woman lost control of her sled and fell and in result of that suffered major head trauma and trauma to the spine, as well as trauma and bruises throughout the body.
The Silvestri Craters, a popular tourist destination, are among the most visited areas of Mount Etna.
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