The two young women, according to the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Education, attended the Duisburg-Mitte Integrated School. They were students in the final year, Q2, and were on a study trip in Tuscany. School psychologists are on-site. The school is receiving all necessary support. However, the ministry requested that the school community’s need for a protected space to process the events be respected.
Police takes blood sample from driver
According to the police, the driver, a 44-year-old woman of Brazilian descent, lost control of her vehicle on Wednesday evening around 7:00 PM in the city center of the seaside resort. Eyewitnesses reported that she was driving at very high speeds.
The precise circumstances of the accident were still unclear the morning after. The police took a blood sample from the woman to determine whether alcohol or drugs were involved. A spokesperson for the traffic police declined to comment on the results when approached by the German Press Agency in the morning.
Injured individuals taken to hospitals
The seven injured were taken to various hospitals in the area, according to a report from the Italian news agency Ansa. A helicopter was also deployed. The Italian police initially did not provide details on the exact ages of the two deceased victims. Reports from Italian media suggest that the critically injured person is a woman around 60 years old.
The accident site in the city center remained closed the following morning. The peak season in the coastal towns of Tuscany has been over for a few days. Nevertheless, many vacationers, including numerous school classes from abroad, are still present.
Several eyewitnesses reported that the woman had sped through the city center at an enormous speed. She reportedly ran two red lights. Several pedestrians were struck head-on by the car. Despite this, the woman continued driving, it was said. Finally, she crashed her vehicle into several parked cars near a hotel, ending her reckless drive. A boy recounted: “The woman seemed completely absent. She was staring blankly.”
“It was like a bullet”
The mayor of Camaiore, Marcello Pierucci, reported that the two German students were the first to be hit. “Something like this has never happened before,” Pierucci told the TV channel 50Canale. “The car ran over everything in its way, even after the second impact.” An eyewitness described the car on Rai television as: “It was like a bullet.” An employee from a nearby hotel stated at the end of the incident: “We heard a tremendous bang. Like a bomb had exploded.”
The municipality of Lido di Camaiore is located directly by the sea, about half an hour’s drive west of the heavily visited city of Lucca. The beach promenade is closed to car traffic. The accident occurred several hundred meters away in the center of the town. The well-known seaside resorts of Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio are located in close proximity to Lido di Camaiore.