Two spectators were killed on Sunday when a competing car left the road and struck them at a hillclimb event in Monte Erice, Sicily, according to Tgcom24.
The victims were identified as Giuseppe Bisconti and Karol Greco, both young men attending the race. The driver of the vehicle has been placed under investigation for vehicular homicide, la Repubblica reports, citing witnesses who said the car was traveling at high speed.
The incident occurred during the Monte Erice cronoscalata, a time-trial competition where drivers race individually against the clock on a closed road course. Reports from ANSA and Sky TG24 confirm the car plowed into a group of spectators watching from the side of the route.
The deaths at Erice were not the only motorsport tragedy in Italy on that day. Sky TG24 and AGI separately reported that a co-driver died in a crash at the Val d'Aveto rally in Liguria, a separate event in the northwest of the country.
Authorities are now examining the circumstances of the Erice crash, including the speed of the vehicle and the positioning of spectators relative to the track. The investigation into the driver, whose name has not been released, will determine whether charges beyond vehicular homicide are warranted.
The motorsport community in Italy has been shaken by the two fatal accidents occurring on the same weekend. Questions are likely to be raised about safety protocols at amateur and regional racing events, particularly regarding spectator barriers and crowd control measures.
The outcome of the investigation into the Erice crash will be closely watched, as will any response from Italian motorsport governing bodies regarding potential rule changes.
