Four young people die in a serious accident

The “Road of Death” in southern Italy claimed four victims. The sadness is great. The terrible accident fuels an emotional debate.

Cantanzaro – Four people lost their lives in a head-on crash on State Road 106 (SS106) in Italy (Calabria). The route is notorious as the “Road of Death”. There is a hail of accusations and criticism of the dilapidated infrastructure in Italy. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini intervenes.

Tragedy shakes Italy: Four young people die in a serious accident

The fatalities – Domenico (27), Antonella (18), Teresa (34) and Elisa (24) – were traveling in a Fiat Panda. A few kilometers from Cantanzaro, the small car collided with a Fiat Idea. The 52-year-old driver was injured in the collision and was taken to hospital and tested for alcohol.

How the accident actually happened on Epiphany is still unclear. A risky overtaking maneuver probably caused the fatal frontal crash. Data from cell phones and vehicle GPS should provide further information. According to the Italian news agency Ansa, the bodies of the victims are still in the Cantanzaro Polyclinic. It is still unclear whether an autopsy will be ordered.

“Road of Death” – Head-on crash in Calabria (Italy) claims four lives

“The victims on State Road 106 are not the first and will not be the last,” writes the organization “Basta Vittime sulla Strada Statale 106” (in German: “Enough of the victims on State Road 106”) on Facebook. The SS106 has already claimed 228 lives in the past ten years. A sad result. The road has now cost the lives of four more people.

The volunteer alliance has been criticizing the conditions on the route for a long time. Finally calls for measures such as an urgent expansion of the state highway to two lanes in each direction with a central reservation. The SS106 is the second most important traffic artery in Calabria and is not designed for the current volume of vehicles.

“Enough victims on the 106” – organization denounces the state of the SS106 in Calabria

The organization openly questions the infrastructure priorities in Calabria. She refers to the Meloni government's mega project to build a bridge over the Strait of Messina. A billion-dollar project that critics have already described as “megalomania and gigantism”.

“Calabria mourns these young, broken lives”

Matteo Salvini, Infrastructure Minister and head of the right-wing ruling party Lega, reacted promptly to the fatal accident. “We understand the pain of the families and are even more determined to carry out all the necessary measures to make state highway 106 safe,” Salvini said, according to Italian TV channel Rai.

“Calabria mourns these young, broken lives,” Roberto Occhiuto, the president of the Calabria region, said after the head-on collision, offering his deepest condolences to the families of the victims. According to Occhiuto, Calabria received 3 billion euros in the last budget law that can be spent immediately on the SS106. The route between Crotone and Curto has already been tendered and awarded and work is expected to begin soon.

The infrastructure in Italy is in a dilapidated state. In spring 2023, an important road bridge in Calabria collapsed on camera during a storm. After the serious bus accident in Venice that left 21 dead, the focus was on a rusty guardrail. Italy's bridges are becoming an accident risk for tourists.

Sicily was engulfed in flames in July after severe flooding. Holidaymakers filmed ghostly scenes on the way to the airport. (ml)