Tragic weekend for mushroom hunters: four dead between Abruzzo, Piacenza and Bologna

It was a weekend marred by tragedies in the Italian woods, where mushroom hunting led to the deaths of four people between Abruzzo, Piacenza and Bologna.

In Abruzzo, the victims are two elderly men, both originally from the province of Teramo. Giuseppe Di Luca, 82, from Corropoli, died after a fall of over 20 meters at Ceppo, in the Monti della Laga, one of the areas most frequented by mushroom hunters. Shortly after, Aldino Ruggieri, 85, from Tortoreto, lost his life in another tragic accident while looking for mushrooms in the same area. He slipped off a cliff and died from the injuries he sustained. In both cases, other hunters present witnessed the falls and raised the alarm, but the rescuers could do nothing but confirm the death.

Another tragic episode occurred in Piacenza, where a 69-year-old woman, resident in Portugal but originally from Zavattarello (Pavia), was found dead after hours of searching. The woman was missing in the Ottone area, where she was looking for mushrooms together with other people. The Alpine Rescue teams, supported by Fire fighters and law enforcement, continued the search until late at night, also using drones to locate the signal of her cell phone. The woman's body was found the next morning.

Finally, on the Bolognese Apennines, two days ago the body of another elderly mushroom hunter was recovered, missing between Madonna dell'Acero and Cavone, in the Rio Ri area. Also in this case, the impervious conditions of the terrain hindered the rescue efforts. Despite the tragedies, there have been some stories of lucky rescues.

In Molise, a 52 year old mushroom hunter, originally from the province of Caserta, was rescued after being stuck on a slope near the gorges of the San Nicola river, in the municipality of Guardiaregia. The man, who fell in an extremely inaccessible area, was recovered after a rescue operation that lasted all night, thanks to the intervention of the Alpine and Speleological Rescue teams and the Fire Brigade.