Search continues for young man swept away by floods in Italy

Patricia Kormos, Christian Molnar and Bianca Doros

The mayor of the local town suggested that they could have been saved if they had returned to the ford immediately to the river bank, rather than staying put and trying to fight the floodwaters.

“They had a chance to escape,” said Michele De Sabata, mayor of Premariacco.

>G Mr De Sabata said he knew the river well: he had played there as a child, but whenever the normally clear water began to become cloudy, locals would immediately get out of the water, knowing that floodwater was approaching from the mountains.

“The water surrounded them, but it was still low. They may have decided not to move to avoid getting their clothes and shoes wet. Unfortunately, the river then flowed at great speed. There was a fire service rescuer just seven meters away, but he could not do anything,” Mr De Sabata told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Rescuers saw three young men being swept away in front of their car . eyes. The rescue helicopter was already on its way, but was a minute late.

“Unfortunately, the helicopter arrived a minute after the children disappeared,” the mayor said.

Video from the scene of the incident The trio is shown hugging each other as the floodwaters swirl around them.

“We threw a rope to them, but the floodwaters literally swallowed them up before our eyes. We saw them disappear,” said Giorgio Basile, fire chief of the neighboring city of Udine.