'If Only They Were 1 Minute Earlier'... The 'Last Embrace' of Three Italian Friends Caught in a Flash Flood Accident

Suddenly Flooded River Traps People
Two Dead, One Missing
Last Embrace Captured... Adding to the Tragedy

In northern Italy, an accident occurred where three friends in their 20s were swept away by a river, resulting in two deaths and one missing person. The last embrace of the friends just before the accident was also revealed, adding to the sorrow.

Three friends trapped by the suddenly swollen river, tightly embracing each other. [Image source=Captured from ANSA, Italy]

On the 4th, Yonhap News, citing the Italian daily Corriere della Sera and others, reported that Patricia Kormos (20, female), Bianca Doros (23, female), and Cristian Molnar (25, male) were trapped by suddenly swollen river waters while taking a walk along the Natisone River near Udine in northern Italy on the 31st of last month. A video taken at the scene captured the three friends clinging tightly to each other, unable to move in the rapid current.

They had driven to the Premariacco beach near Udine and then walked down to the Natisone River. While walking along the riverbank, they went out to a gravel bed in the middle of the river and then encountered the accident. Michele De Sabata, mayor of Premariacco, explained, "When the river water starts turning muddy, residents know the embankment has collapsed and immediately get out of the water." He added, "They arrived when the weather was clear. Since they were not locals, they probably did not know what was going to happen. It only took a few minutes." He expressed regret, saying that if the three had immediately fled to the riverbank when the water rose, they could have saved their lives.

Three friends trapped by the suddenly swollen river, tightly embracing each other. [Image source=Captured from ANSA, Italy]

The accident video shows the three desperately trying to hold onto each other to maintain their balance, but eventually, all were swept away by the river. The rescue helicopter arrived just one minute after they disappeared. Rescue workers were on the riverbank 7 meters from the accident site, but the current was too strong to do anything. Giorgio Basile, chief of the Udine fire station, said, "We threw ropes to save the three, but they did not reach them. We could only watch them disappear."

The bodies of the two women were found on the 1st, but Molnar remains missing. Kormos and Doros were friends, and Molnar was known to be Doros's boyfriend. Rescue authorities continued search operations that day using divers, drones, and helicopters.

Meanwhile, in the past two weeks, northern Italian regions including Milan, Varese, and Cremona have experienced continuous heavy rain, causing repeated flood damage.