An Italian couple have survived six days lost in the Dolomites mountains of northern Italy by drinking their own urine and foraging for berries. Davide Cesaroni, 41, and his wife Chiara Pesaresi, 38, set off on 1 July on what they intended to be a circular day hike, but lost their way in a dense stretch of forest on the Marini Trail. The case highlights how quickly a popular, well-marked route can turn dangerous when hikers stray off course.

Although trail markers were initially easy to follow, the couple became disoriented near a ravine and, with little food, chose to shelter overnight in the hope of finding their way back. Instead they spent six days in the forest, building a shelter from branches and drinking their own urine to stave off thirst until they found a stream after two days. Mountain rescue teams and firefighters launched a search after the alarm was raised over unanswered messages, and their car was found abandoned near a mountain hut close to Pordenone. On the sixth day, a rescue team was lowered from a helicopter onto the intended trail and located the pair.