None of the five passengers had planned to board that helicopter, all were betrayed by fate. Let’s start with the Slovenian family. She had left Ljubljana and was touring Italy with a camper. Bostjan Rigler, 54 years old, just a few days ago he sent a photo to his colleagues in the television group where he was technical director, in which he showed the camper with an “Italian sunset” in the background. He was traveling with his wife Mateja Curk, 44, a company manager, and his two teenage children, Jon, 14, and Liza, 13. On Friday they decide to take a trip to the Tremiti Islands, leave the camper and go with the ship. Plans are to return that same evening. They are late, they lose the ship. They try to return by helicopter, nothing to do: the weather is getting worse, the take-off is canceled. They fit and sleep in a hotel. Not bad, they must have told themselves, we’ll take the helicopter tomorrow. Yesterday at 9.20 they boarded the Alidaunia Agusta.
Foggia, helicopter crashed: seven deaths including two boys aged 13 and 14. Slovenian TV director among the victims
At take off there is another passenger who was not supposed to be there. Maurizio De Girolamo, 64 years old, from San Severo (Foggia). He is a doctor, one of those who never get tired of working. Says the mayor of San Severo, Francesco Miglio, who proclaimed the city mourning: «he was on the front line with us in the emergency room and on the ambulances of 118. And periodically he also served at the Tremiti. Here in San Severo he was well known. His wife, originally from Romagna, is the pharmacist. One of the three children was a member of parliament for the 5 Stars ». Ugo De Girolamo was elected in the last legislature in the province of Forlì and lives in Modigliana, the city of origin of his mother. Well, his father, Doctor Maurizio, he was not supposed to get on that helicopter. He had other plans, says another mayor, that of Tremiti, Peppino Calabrese: “he had just finished the night shift and had decided to take the helicopter instead of the ship due to adverse marine weather conditions”. Coincidences. And then there are the two riders, who are highly esteemed. Luigi Ippolito60 years old, the most experienced of Alidaunia, e Andrea Nardella, 39. They both lived in Foggia. Giuseppe, a friend of Nardella’s, remembered him like this on Facebook: «You became a helicopter pilot with many, but many sacrifices. Yours and your family. You will miss so many people who have had the gift of meeting you ».
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