The heartbreaking footage, posted on X, shows Patrizia Cormos, 20, her friend Bianca Doros, 23, and her boyfriend Cristian Molnar, 25, standing thigh-deep in the churning waters of the Natisone River in Udine, located in the Friuli region.
The friends had been walking along the river when they found themselves stranded on a tiny pebble island as the water levels surged dangerously high. Despite alerting passersby and the swift arrival of firefighters, who attempted to save the group by tossing them a rope, the three friends couldn’t grasp it, according to reports.
“We threw them a rope, but they were literally swallowed up by the flood waters 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 two bodies, believed to be Patrizia Cormos and Bianca Doros, were found approximately 1 kilometer from their last known location. The search for Cristian Molnar continues, with intensified efforts involving drones, boats, and divers scouring the river.
Recent severe storms have triggered a string of destructive flash floods across northern Italy, with the cities of Padua and Vicenza being particularly hard-hit. Veneto’s governor has compared the extreme weather conditions to a “water bomb,” highlighting the sudden and devastating impact of these storms.
