Three friends seen hugging each other moments before being swept away in flash flood

The tragic final moments of three friends embracing before being swept away by a flash flood in Italy have been captured on tape, breaking millions of hearts worldwide.

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.

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, joined her friends for a drive to celebrate completing a significant exam, as reported by her devastated mother. The trio parked their car near the river to explore a small beach and capture some photographs.

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Michele De Sabata, the mayor of the nearby town of Premariacco, commented on the tragedy, saying, “They found themselves in an unpredictable situation. Those who live in Premariacco know the river and how conditions can change quickly. The three kids arrived when it was sunny. They could not have known what was about to happen. It only took minutes.”

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.