The operation, made difficult by adverse sea conditions, required the use of a winch to rescue the boys. On the night between August 15 and 16, an AB 212 helicopter of the 80th Search and Rescue Center (SAR) of Decimomannu, part of the 15th Air Force Stormo, intervened to rescue 5 Roma boys between the ages of 20 and 24 who were stranded on a rock near Porto Cervo. The vessel carrying the boys collided with the rock around 23:00 while returning to Porto Cervo, stranding itself. The rescue operations, carried out in collaboration with the Coast Guard who arrived immediately on the scene and remained on guard over the boys until the arrival of the helicopter, were particularly complicated due to the adverse sea conditions. The boys, already in the initial stages of hypothermia, were rescued by the air rescue helicopter using a winch and urgently transported to the airport in Olbia. Having landed around 05:45, they received their first medical care from two ambulances that had previously arrived at the scene, and were subsequently taken to the hospital for further examinations.
The operation thus concluded in the early hours of dawn with the return of the helicopter to the base in Decimomannu.
The 80th Center is one of the units of the 15th Air Force Wing of the Italian Air Force that guarantees 24/7 search and rescue for flight crews in difficulty, and also contributes to public utility activities such as the search for missing people at sea or in the mountains, the emergency medical transport of those in danger of life, and the rescue of seriously traumatized people. Since its establishment to date, the crews of the 15th Air Force have saved about 7,300 people in danger of life.
