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"Drugged driver" kills seven cyclists in Sunday morning "massacre" in Southern Italy

Police say 21-year-old banned from driving seven months ago had been smoking marijuana

Seven cyclists (not the eight that was initially reported) were killed this morning in a horrific crash in Southern Italia after being hit head on by a Mercedes travelling on the wrong side of the road whose driver has tested positive for smoking marijuana and who was banned from driving seven months ago.

The incident happened on the state road 18 at Lamezia Terme, in the province of Catanzaro, Calabria. Six of the cyclists died at the scene and the seventh while he was being airlifted by helicopter to receive emergency treatment.

Other members of the group with which they were riding remain in hospital, some injured seriously.

The driver was named by Rome-based newspaper Il Messagero as 21-year-old Moroccan citizen Chafik Elketani, a resident of Gizzeria in the province of Catanzaro.

After hitting the group of cyclists, Elketani is believed to have lost control of the vehicle, which finished up off the road.

The collision  is said to have happened while he was attempting to overtake another vehicle at high speed, hitting the group of cyclists, who were travelling in the opposite direction and had no time to brake, head-on.

Elketani was himself slightly injured in the crash, and after receiving emergency treatment in the hospital in Lamezia Terme, the driver was taken to the medical centre in Catanzaro’s jail. According to one report there was also a child passenger in the car who was also injured in the crash.

The dead cyclists, all male, all came from Lamezia Terme and included 58-year-old Fortunato Bernardi, the owner of the gym to which their cycling club is affiliated, the uncle of Inter Milan footballer Felice Natalino.

“What we found on our arrival this morning was a terrible scene. Indescribable,” said Silvio Rocco, one of the first paramedics on the scene. “Not even a bomb could have caused something like this.”

He continued: “We were had been alerted about an incident in which, according to initial reports, only one cyclist was involved. Arriving on the scene, however, we saw that we were dealing with a massacre. They were all people whom we knew personally, so the blow was even more distressing. We alerted other emergency staff and the helicopter. It’s something that is truly disturbing.”

The mayor of Lamezia Terme, Gianni Speranza, declaring a period of official mourning said, “It’s a huge tragedy. A terrible sight.”
 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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10 comments

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Tony Farrelly | 13 years ago
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Sorted now, thanks Chris (that one was down to me)

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Simon_MacMichael | 13 years ago
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That's changed now Chris, thanks for pointing that out. On Sunday, when this story broke, amid the confusion, many major Italian newspapers and some of the big news agencies were reporting eight deaths.

That was the figure reported not only by ourselves but also by outlets such as the BBC, Telegraph, Guardian and Wall St Journal, to name but four.

As we pointed out in our follow-up story yesterday, it was actually seven cyclists that died - apologies for not picking up all the references when we came back to edit this story to reflect the correct number.

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horizontal dropout replied to Simon_MacMichael | 13 years ago
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Hi Simon, thanks, sorry to sound ranty. Thanks to road.cc for keeping on pushing this issue and related one of stupid penalties. Plus all the other stuff you do.

Chris

PS um it still says eighty not eight in the article

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horizontal dropout | 13 years ago
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Sorry but please correct the failed proof reading: "Seven cyclists (not the eighty that was initially reported)...". "Six of the cyclists died at the scene... and the eighth in hospital."

This is an appalling incident, please get the facts clear.

thanks

Chris

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OldRidgeback | 13 years ago
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It's a truly horrible incident. The driver will be rightfully punished severely by the Italian legal system. One thing to bear in mind about Italy's road safety. The UK and Italy have roughly the same population at around 59 million. For 2009 there were 2,222 fatalities on British roads while there were over 4,300 in Italy. Draw your own conclusions.

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Marky Legs | 13 years ago
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RIP

Maybe countries can learn something from this tragic event (can't even call it an accident). If someone is banned from driving, or even cautioned for dangerous driving, just letting them get on with their lives just isn't enough. At the very least force these idiots onto appropriate courses to correct their behaviour. If they don't go, put them on community servicefor a long time.

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mrchrispy | 13 years ago
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I wonder if italian law has the teeth to put this idiot away for a long long time?
sadly we know it would be a 12 month ban and a fine over here  2
RIP guys

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mowatb | 13 years ago
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I find this truly disturbing & upsetting, I just can't believe things like this can happen.

RIP

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TRs Blurb n Blog | 13 years ago
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This is truly awful and upsetting. I can't imagine how the survivors will cope with their ordeal.

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headfirst | 13 years ago
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Unfecking believable.

Hanging really would be too good for him.

RIP the fallen ones.

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