Two 19-year-old footballers have died and a third was seriously injured in a head-on collision in northern Italy.
The crash occurred late on Tuesday evening in the Val Colvera tunnel, between the towns of Frisanco and Maniago in the province of Pordenone. The victims, Danilo Boz and Fabio Rosa, both played for Maniago Vajont, a club competing in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Promotion League.
The pair were travelling home with teammate Andrea Zoccoletto, also 19, after an evening training session in Poffabro when their car collided head-on with another vehicle driven by a 72-year-old woman from Zoppola. Boz and Rosa, who were passengers, died at the scene. Zoccoletto was airlifted to a hospital in Udine with serious injuries but is not believed to be in a life-threatening condition.
The woman driving the other car sustained less serious injuries and was taken to the hospital in Pordenone.
Emergency services were alerted by a passing motorist who arrived moments after the collision. Rescue operations were complicated by poor mobile phone coverage in the area. Carabinieri, firefighters, local police and medical personnel attended the scene.
The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation. Initial reports suggest the car carrying the three footballers may have lost traction while exiting a bend inside the tunnel, crossing into the opposite lane and colliding with the oncoming vehicle. The impact was particularly severe on the passenger side, where the two victims were seated.
The accident has shocked the local community, with tributes pouring in for the young players who had only recently completed their studies and were preparing for the new football season.
