What was meant to be a day marked by reflection and collective memory in Lanciano, in the province of Chieti, turned into a tragedy. A car plowed into a group of pedestrians marching in Italy’s Liberation Day commemoration, leaving one dead and injuring several others.
According to initial reports, the vehicle’s 80-year-old driver may have lost control due to a medical emergency or a brake failure. After speeding down the street, the car struck the crowd before crashing into another vehicle. Some of the victims were thrown into the air and landed violently on the asphalt.
The man who caused the crash also appears to be seriously injured, although his condition is still being assessed. Among the injured is a former city councilmember, who reportedly sustained only minor contusions.
Still visibly shaken, witnesses remarked that the incident could have turned into a massacre. Some described scenes of sheer terror and spoke of “a deafening noise, with the car coming in like a missile.” The shocking and unexpected scene also deeply affected tourists and pilgrims near the Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle, a significant place of worship and spiritual reflection, who could do nothing but watch helplessly.
