TRAGIC footage captured the moment three friends clung to each other in the midst of raging floodwaters before being swept away.
The couple and their friend, all in their 20s, were last seen alive in the waters of the Natisone River near Udine in northern Italy.
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Patrizia Cormos, 20, her friend Bianca Doros, 23, and her boyfriend Cristian Molnar, 25, went for a walk along the river in Friuli on Friday.
Harrowing footage later filmed by passersby showed them crowded together on a small island in the middle of the flooded river.
Unable to reach safety on either side of the river, the trio stayed there for as long as possible before being swept away.
According to reports, they easily walked to the small island in dry conditions before it was flooded.
Fire chief Giorgio Basile said: “We threw them a rope, but they were literally swallowed by the floodwaters before our eyes. We watched them disappear.”
And he added: “The main element is not so much the rain, it is the power of the river, the currents are very strong”, the Telegraph reports.
“There are gorges, there is a backflow of water and even for experts it is a particularly treacherous task.”
One of the women called police at around 1.35pm and emergency services rushed to the scene on Roman Bridge.
A firefighter told them to stay close to each other on the bridge before they were separated in the water.
He shouted, “Stand together, come together, hug each other.”
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Firefighters could be seen lowering a crane above the torrents to try and rescue them, without success.
A helicopter also arrived at the scene according to reports, but about a minute and a half later the trio disappeared.
Rescue teams have been searching the river with drones, boats and drivers since Friday to find them.
Yesterday, two bodies, believed to be those of Ms Cormos and Ms Doros, were recovered approximately 1km from the location where they were last seen.
Mrs Doros was from Romania and was apparently visiting her family in Italy when the tragedy occurred.
Mr Molnar, who has not yet been found, is also Romanian.
A bag containing the phone used by one of the women to make an emergency call was found in the river.
The deputy chief of the Udine Fire Department, Sergio Benedetti, said: “The search continues with all the resources we have on the ground.” the Republic reports.
“We will not stop until we find the third missing person. The hope, although limited, is to find her still alive.”
He added: “The condition of the river is gradually improving because the water, although very slowly, is receding.
“The first body was found by firefighters trained in river techniques, searching the river, while the second was recovered by Civil Protection volunteers.”
The governor of Friuli, Venezia-Giulia Massimiliano Fedriga, expressed his condolences on the tragic death.
He said: “The regional Administration – in the words of the governor and the Civil Protection councilor – expresses its gratitude to the firefighters, Civil Protection volunteers and everyone involved in the searches”.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
