A small aircraft crashed onto a busy road in Italy, bursting into flames upon impact and killing both people on board.
According to reports, the incident occurred Tuesday on a highway in Brescia, a city in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Dramatic footage of the crash has gone viral on social media.
Local media reported that the pilot and his companion—his only passenger—died instantly at the scene. Two car drivers were also injured as the aircraft struck the road, though their conditions are now stable.
The ultralight Freccia RG aircraft reportedly plunged at high speed onto the bustling highway on Tuesday morning. Video clips show the plane catching fire the moment it hit the ground.
The victims have been identified as 75-year-old Sergio Ravaglia, the pilot, and his 60-year-old partner, Anne Marie Di Stefano. Sergio was a lawyer by profession and a recreational pilot. Both were residents of Milan, the capital of Lombardy.
Investigations suggest the pilot was attempting an emergency landing on the road when the crash occurred. Footage shows several cars speeding past the burning wreckage in the immediate aftermath, with two of the drivers sustaining injuries.
Police and fire crews rushed to the scene, but the plane was already engulfed in flames and reduced to ashes. The public prosecutor’s office in Brescia has launched an investigation, including a review of the aircraft’s maintenance records.
Sources: New York Post, Gazeta Express