An 81-year-old man died on Friday in the central Italian town of Lanciano after a car ploughed into a crowd at the end of a Liberation Day parade. Two women were hurt and taken to hospital, local media and rescuers said.
The driver, 80, was behind the wheel when it happened. Firefighters said he appeared to have fallen ill before the car hit people, and an investigation is under way. The man who was struck died at once, according to local media.
The parade had been organized by ANPI, the Italian partisans’ association, which keeps alive the memory of the Resistance against the Fascists. It was the town’s own march on April 25, 2025, the 80th anniversary of the liberation.
A holiday with a heavy backdrop
Liberation Day, known in Italy as the Festa della Liberazione, is a national holiday. Schools, public offices and most shops close, and towns across the country hold parades and demonstrations. The day commemorates the end of Fascist rule and Nazi occupation in World War II, and the victory of the partisan movement.
This year’s anniversary fell inside the five-day national mourning period for the death of Pope Francis. The right-wing government asked organizers to keep celebrations sober.
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- 1 killed and 2 injured as driver loses control during a parade in an …
- 1 killed and 2 injured as driver loses control during a parade in an…
