It was their first day of vacation after the end of the school year. Maria Cesarea Petracca and her colleague Martina Atzori, middle school teacher at «Virgili» in Ronciglione, in the province of Viterbo, had chosen the Ladispoli beach, in Torre Flavia, in the area of the ruins. But a carefree moment at the seaside turned into tragedy: the first drowned yesterday afternoon, while the other tried to save her, but in the end she was rescued just in time by three traffic policemen who dived to bring her back to shore. She is hospitalized for observation and in shock at the Aurelia Hospital. Unfortunately, however, the intervention was useless for Petracca, 62 years old, an English teacher, a point of reference for the school community of Ronciglione: she was also responsible for student orientation and years ago she had obtained a transfer from Trevignano, where she had looked after the children. who need support.
Beach safety investigations
The teacher got stuck between the rocks against which she was dragged by the strong current and the rough sea in a stretch of sea famous in the area for its danger – the water suddenly becomes deep – and where there is no assistance to bathers. There she was overwhelmed by the waves despite rescuers desperately trying to reach her. The harbor master’s office is now investigating the incident and should send a report to the Civitavecchia Prosecutor’s Office in the next few days. The safety measures on the beach are being evaluated to understand whether the teacher could have been saved. Also for this reason, the three rescuers, Silvia Dentini, Simona Antinucci and Diego Galimberti, on duty at the municipal police command of the seaside town, could be heard.
In Nettuno a bather and one of the rescuers are seriously injured
Yesterday’s incident is the first tragedy at sea of the 2024 bathing season on the coasts in the province of Rome. The traffic police, who were patrolling the beach, were alerted by a visitor who noticed the two women in difficulty. «They were carried away by the current, at a certain point they disappeared near the rocks”, reported those who were on the beach at the time. Even in Nettuno there was a big risk: a swimmer risked drowning and was hospitalized. One of the three rescuers is serious, with a prognosis reserved for Gemelli where he arrived by air ambulance.
