Three 17-year-olds die after car plunges into canal near Milan; driver, 19, tests positive for alcohol

The crash

Shortly after 5 a.m. on Sunday 21 June, a car with nine occupants, all aged between 17 and 19, veered off Via per Cesate in Senago, a municipality in the province of Milan, and plunged into the Villoresi canal. The vehicle, an Audi, ended up overturned in the water. Emergency services were alerted around 5.30 a.m.

Rescue operations

The regional emergency agency Areu dispatched six ambulances, two medical cars and a helicopter, while fire crews from Milan and carabinieri from Rho also responded. Divers entered the canal to reach the submerged car. In an initial phase, seven people were pulled from the vehicle: one was pronounced dead at the scene and six survivors were taken to Niguarda hospital in Milan. During subsequent vehicle-recovery operations, firefighters found two more bodies inside the car; both had already died.

The victims and survivors

The three confirmed dead are all aged 17, two young men and a young woman. The six injured survivors, aged between 17 and 19, received hospital treatment. The authorities have not released names.

Investigation

The 19-year-old driver, an Italian citizen, underwent an alcohol test at the scene and tested positive. He is now under investigation for aggravated vehicular homicide. Carabinieri are reconstructing the exact sequence of events that led to the loss of control and the car leaving the carriageway.