In a heart-wrenching moment caught just before disaster struck, three friends embraced for the last time as they were overtaken by a sudden and ruthless flash flood.
Recent severe storms have unleashed a series of devastating flash floods across northern Italy, prompting emergency crews to navigate through inundated streets in dinghies to perform rescues.
Particularly hard-hit are the cities of Padua and Vicenza, with Veneto’s governor likening the intense weather conditions to a ‘water bomb.’
“Extreme events are becoming more frequent and will increase with the increase of global warming,” Professor Marco Marani explained to the Corriere del Veneto newspaper.
On a fateful Friday (31 May), 20-year-old Patrizia Cormos, her friend 23-year-old Bianca Doros, and 25-year-old Cristian Molnar, Bianca’s boyfriend, decided to walk along the Natisone River near Udine in the northern Friuli region.
However, their casual stroll turned perilous as the river swelled dramatically following days of relentless rain, trapping them on a small island they sought for refuge.
The last sighting of the trio alive was a chilling scene with them standing in thigh-deep water, clinging to each other for comfort.
A tragic video captured during the rescue operation showed the friends in a tight embrace, helplessly trapped as the waters rose ominously around them.
“We threw them a rope, but they were literally swallowed up by the flood waters in front of our eyes. We watched them disappear,” recounted Giorgio Basile, the chief of the provincial firefighters in Udine.
On Sunday (2 June), the community faced a grim discovery as two bodies, believed to be Ms. Cormos and Ms. Doros, were found approximately 1km from their last known location.
Authorities have initiated an investigation into the events leading up to the tragedy, even as efforts persist to locate Mr. Molnar.
In the relentless search for the missing, drones, boats, and divers have been scouring the river since the incident.
One of the women had managed to call emergency services around 1:35pm on that fateful Friday.
Firefighters arrived swiftly, calling out from a nearby bridge and attempting to deliver a lifeline. Tragically, the powerful current swept the trio away before they could grasp the rope.
“The challenge isn’t just the rain but the immense power of the river and its strong currents,” Basile added, emphasizing the perilous conditions even for rescue experts.