Search for missing person continues: Two women recovered dead from river after flood drama in Italy

The floods in the Italian province of Udine have claimed the lives of two young women. The search is still ongoing for a missing young man.

According to the Daily Mail, a tragedy has occurred near the northern Italian city of Udine. The three friends Patrizia C., Bianca D. and Cristian M. were swept away by a flash flood last Friday (May 31) when they were stuck on a small pebble island in the Natisone river. The two young women were found dead on Sunday, and Cristian M. is still missing.

The three friends were last seen alive while taking a walk along the river, the Daily Mail reports. The heavy rains of the past few days had caused the water to rise dangerously. A video published online shows the three standing in the river, tightly embraced, apparently just seconds before they were swept away by the flood.

Rescue workers tried to throw a rope to the three people. But according to Giorgio Basile, head of the fire service in the province of Udine, they were “swallowed by the floods”.

According to the deputy commander of the Udine fire brigade, Sergio Benedetti, the bodies of the two women were found 1.7 kilometers downstream from their last known location. “We will not stop searching until we have found everyone,” Benedetti told “Today.it”. The hope of finding Cristian alive is slim, but the search will continue with all available means.

In Germany, the floods claimed their first fatality over the weekend. In Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm in Upper Bavaria, a firefighter died during a rescue operation. His dinghy capsized during the operation along with three other colleagues, and he was recovered dead on Sunday.

Heavy rain, high water, flooding – the storm has southern Germany firmly in its grip. The water levels have reached the heights of a once-in-a-century flood. Dams are breaking. Places are being evacuated. Read everything you need to know in the weather ticker.

Many people can easily imagine spending their retirement abroad. However, the dream can also go really wrong, as in the case of Christine, who is stuck in Thailand.