In an accident that took place in Italian town of Lutago, a drunk Italian driver rammed his car into a group of German tourists. Six of them have lost their lives and eleven have been severely injured. The driver has been arrested and has been charged with murder. Italian Prime Minister took to Twitter to offer condolences to the families of the deceased.
Details of the incident
The incident took place on Sunday, at 1:15 a.m. [Local Time] at the Italian town of Lutago, near the Italy-Austria border.
A group of German tourists had just got off a bus, after an evening at a nightclub. Suddenly, a speeding car slammed into them, throwing some of them dozens of metres away, AFP reported. Six died on the spot, while 11 of them were injured. Two were seriously injured and were flown in a helicopter to a hospital in the Austrian city of Innsbruck.
The bus driver told a local newspaper, "I had just dropped the youths off when I saw the car coming at a crazy speed. I flashed my headlights in vain to tell the driver to slow down. A few seconds later I saw these poor kids flying through the air in my rear-view mirror."
Drunk driver charged with murder
The driver is a 27-year old local resident. He had between 1.9 and 2.0 grams of alcohol per litre in his blood, about four times the maximum allowed level, when the accident took place. He was put in hospital under police guard and murder charge has been leveled against him. If convicted, he can face prison term of up to 18 years.
Condolences pour in
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte took to Twitter to offer his "most sincere" condolences to the "families of the young German tourists", wishing those injured a fast recovery.
"I cry with those who have lost their children, their brothers and sisters, their friends, in the night," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
Lutago, or Luttach in German, is a small town in a largely German-speaking region near the Austrian border that is popular for skiing and other winter sports.
