Boys recovering from icy cave-in


October 2, 2008 · Updated 5:52 PM 

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Two Seattle boys are expected to recover from serious injuries they sustained during an ice cave collapse in the Denny Creek area Thursday, Aug. 21, their mothers said in a news conference Monday.

Allessandro Gelmini, 14, was in “serious” condition, while Alec Corbett, 17, was in “satisfactory” condition after they both underwent surgery for broken backs, a Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman said.

The teenagers were hiking with family members when they walked into an ice cave Thursday afternoon. The roof crashed down on them, trapping them under several feet of snow and ice for five hours, as rescuers worked to get them out using chain saws and shovels.

The rescue was “nothing short of a miracle,” said Chrissy Gelmini, Allesandro’s mother during a news conference at the hospital Monday.

The boys fell next to boulders that prevented them from being completely crushed.

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