the three drowned boys didn’t ask for it. Let’s think about how to prevent it from happening again

Dear director,

saying “it can’t be their fault”, as you wrote, means mystifying the reality of the facts. These adult boys proved to be naive and not inclined to common sense because they entered that little island in the middle of the river to challenge the impending nature of the waters. Of course, the organization of the interventions highlighted some cracks.

Giobatta Benetti
Mira (Venice)

Dear reader,
First of all, let me make a clarification, which seems important to me to understand (and judge) what happened. The three boys had not at all set out as aspiring explorers on an islet, that is, on a space entirely surrounded by the waters of the Natisone. They were on a strip of land that extended from the mainland towards the river: a sort of small peninsula of stones that was easily accessible and which was then quickly submerged by the flood of the river.

So nothing particularly adventurous or reckless: those boys were not challenging anything or anyone, as demonstrated by the photos taken a few minutes before the tragedy, which portray the Natisone river flowing calmly, without impetuous waves.

Natisone, the lawyer for Cristian’s family: «The initial danger was underestimated. If the rescue had started in time the boys would have been alive”

In any case: you write that I mystify the reality of the facts. I would like to understand why. Maybe because I think you can’t die, much less at 20, in that absurd way?

Or because I think it’s not those kids’ fault if there was no sign in that area warning against sudden floods of the Natisone?

Or are you telling me that it’s the fault of those kids if instead of having a helicopter from Friuli Venezia Giulia intervene to help them, an aircraft was taken off from Venice, wasting precious time and perhaps decisive for their safety?

Be that as it may: I’m not interested in hunting down the culprit, it’s not my job. An investigation has been opened and we will know the results and conclusions in due course. It would be enough for me to know that what happened will never happen again. And I would like the families of those children, so severely tried, to at least be avoided the heartbreak and injustice of being told: “They asked for it”.

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