A heartbreaking video has surfaced, capturing the final moments of three friends embracing before being swept away by a flash flood in Italy.
The footage, shared on X, shows Patrizia Cormos, 20, her friend Bianca Doros, 23, and her boyfriend Cristian Molnar, 25, standing thigh-deep in the turbulent Natisone River in Udine, located in the Friuli region.
The group was stranded on a small pebble island during a walk when the water levels suddenly surged. Despite their efforts to alert passersby and the quick response of firefighters, who tossed them a rope, the friends were unable to grasp it, according to reports.
Tragically, they were engulfed by the floodwaters as the firefighters watched helplessly.
“We threw them a rope, but they were literally swallowed up by the floodwaters in front of our eyes. We watched them disappear,” recounted Giorgio Basile, the chief of the provincial firefighters in Udine.
On Sunday, June 2, the community made a grim discovery when the bodies of Patrizia Cormos and Bianca Doros were found approximately one kilometer from their last known location. The search for Cristian Molnar continues, with drones, boats, and divers scouring the river.
Bianca Doros, originally from Romania, had traveled to Italy to visit her parents. Patrizia Cormos, a student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Udine, was celebrating completing a significant exam with her friends, according to her devastated mother.
The trio had parked near the river to explore a small beach and take photographs.
Michele De Sabata, the mayor of the nearby town of Premariacco, described the tragedy as occurring within minutes.
“They found themselves in an unpredictable situation. Those who live in Premariacco know how quickly the river conditions can change. The three arrived when it was sunny. They could not have known what was about to happen. It only took minutes,” he said.
Recent severe storms have triggered a series of destructive flash floods across northern Italy, with the cities of Padua and Vicenza particularly hard-hit. Veneto’s governor compared the extreme weather conditions to a “water bomb.”
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