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| Car Plows Into German Tourists in Italy, Killing 6 and Injuring 11 | Car Plows Into German Tourists in Italy, Killing 6 and Injuring 11 |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| ROME — A car plowed into a group of young German tourists as they crossed a road in northern Italy early on Sunday, killing six people and injuring 11 others, four seriously, Italian officials said. | ROME — A car plowed into a group of young German tourists as they crossed a road in northern Italy early on Sunday, killing six people and injuring 11 others, four seriously, Italian officials said. |
| The driver, a 27-year-old man from the area, showed a blood-alcohol level nearly four times Italy’s legal limit, according to the prosecutor’s office in Bolzano, a city in the South Tyrol area of northern Italy. The man, identified by the police by his initials, SL, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, local reports said. | |
| The victims were part of a group of youths, aged 20 to 25, who had booked a five-day vacation through a travel agency. Most were German, but officials said one of the injured was Italian. | |
| The vacationers were returning from a night out at a pub and were hit while crossing a state road to reach their lodgings at a farmhouse, said Arno Kompatscher, the region’s president. They had used a public shuttle service established in the region so that young people could go out and have fun but not drink and drive, he said. | |
| “These young people wanted to have a good time — and from one second to the next were ripped from life or badly injured,” Armin Laschet, the governor of North-Rhine Westphalia, the German state where many of the victims were from, said on Twitter. | “These young people wanted to have a good time — and from one second to the next were ripped from life or badly injured,” Armin Laschet, the governor of North-Rhine Westphalia, the German state where many of the victims were from, said on Twitter. |
| The crash occurred around 1:15 a.m. Sunday in the mountain village of Lutago, which is in the municipality of Valle Aurina in the South Tyrol region, near the Austrian border, according to a spokesman for the local military police. The Bolzano prosecutor’s office said it appeared the driver had been exceeding the speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour, or about 31 miles per hour. | |
| The accident site is close to a volunteer firefighter station, Mr. Kompatscher said, “so rescue teams reached the scene in just a few minutes.” He said about 160 rescuers had been involved. | The accident site is close to a volunteer firefighter station, Mr. Kompatscher said, “so rescue teams reached the scene in just a few minutes.” He said about 160 rescuers had been involved. |
| Six people died on impact, according to Lt. Col. Alessandro Coassin of the Bolzano carabinieri, the military police investigating the accident. He said four others had been transferred to hospitals in “very serious” condition. Two others were taken to a hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, and one each to hospitals in Bolzano and Brunico, Italy. | |
| Seven others, including a local woman, were being treated at various hospitals for multiple injuries. “There were dozens of ambulances and rescue vehicles, including helicopters, on the scene,” he said. | Seven others, including a local woman, were being treated at various hospitals for multiple injuries. “There were dozens of ambulances and rescue vehicles, including helicopters, on the scene,” he said. |
| The driver pulled over after striking the group and “didn’t run away,” Lieutenant Coassin said. He was taken to a hospital for other tests and to allow him to access to a psychologist, Mr. Kompatscher said. The lieutenant said the man’s blood-alcohol content was “considerably higher than the legal limit.” | |
| Lieutenant Coassin declined to identify the make of the car the man was driving, saying that “in these small valleys, everyone knows who drives certain cars.” | Lieutenant Coassin declined to identify the make of the car the man was driving, saying that “in these small valleys, everyone knows who drives certain cars.” |
| Mr. Kompatscher said that the victims had been identified and that their families had been notified. A hotline was set up to provide information to the relatives. | Mr. Kompatscher said that the victims had been identified and that their families had been notified. A hotline was set up to provide information to the relatives. |
| “Some relatives have already arrived, and others are expected to come by nightfall,” he said. | “Some relatives have already arrived, and others are expected to come by nightfall,” he said. |
| One victim was identified as being from Cologne and another from the town of Remscheid, according to a police spokesman, the German press agency DPA reported. | One victim was identified as being from Cologne and another from the town of Remscheid, according to a police spokesman, the German press agency DPA reported. |
| South Tyrol, or Alto Adige — a largely German-speaking autonomous region of northern Italy with ski resorts in the Dolomites mountain range and quaint villages around Bolzano — is popular with German tourists. | South Tyrol, or Alto Adige — a largely German-speaking autonomous region of northern Italy with ski resorts in the Dolomites mountain range and quaint villages around Bolzano — is popular with German tourists. |
| In 2017, the most recent year available, there were nearly 175,000 road accidents in Italy, resulting in 3,378 deaths, and 246,750 injured, according to the Italian statistics agency ISTAT. Of these, 600 were pedestrians. | In 2017, the most recent year available, there were nearly 175,000 road accidents in Italy, resulting in 3,378 deaths, and 246,750 injured, according to the Italian statistics agency ISTAT. Of these, 600 were pedestrians. |
| The accident occurred on the final long weekend of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays in Italy, which will be capped by Epiphany on Monday. | The accident occurred on the final long weekend of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays in Italy, which will be capped by Epiphany on Monday. |
| “The year is starting with a tragic accident” involving six young victims, Mr. Kompatscher told RaiNews24, the Italian state news channel. “Our thoughts go to the victims, their families and friends,” he said. | “The year is starting with a tragic accident” involving six young victims, Mr. Kompatscher told RaiNews24, the Italian state news channel. “Our thoughts go to the victims, their families and friends,” he said. |
| In April last year, 29 German tourists were killed and 28 others injured when a bus plunged off a road on the Portuguese island of Madeira. The bus, which was carrying 56 people, rolled down a steep hillside after veering off the road on a bend east of the capital, Funchal, and struck at least one house, Portuguese officials said. | In April last year, 29 German tourists were killed and 28 others injured when a bus plunged off a road on the Portuguese island of Madeira. The bus, which was carrying 56 people, rolled down a steep hillside after veering off the road on a bend east of the capital, Funchal, and struck at least one house, Portuguese officials said. |
| Katrin Bennhold contributed reporting from Berlin. | Katrin Bennhold contributed reporting from Berlin. |