UDINE. The rescue chain and the reason why the choice to have the fire brigade helicopter take off from Venice was preferred, rather than the health emergency helicopter from nearby Campoformido. This is what the investigation – without suspects – of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Udine is focusing on, which will hold a press conference this morning to detail the developments.
The alarm
The first call was made by Patrizia Cormos at 1.25pm. She reported to the operator of the 112 Fvg Emergency Center that she was stuck on the river bed due to the sudden arrival of the flood. The employee ensures that there are no people with health problems and forwards the call to the Provincial Fire Brigade Command. The following are sent: the first Udine team, the Cividale detachment and the riverboats. At this stage the “Drago” helicopter stationed at Venice’s Marco Polo airport is also alerted: but it is over 120 kilometers to get to Premariacco. Precisely due to its location, to take off the aircraft must prepare a plan agreed with the control tower.
Friends beyond fear by Assia Neumann Dayan
Pedestrians
At 1.35pm the situation was already very worrying and the calls to 112 became numerous. One is made again by Patrizia – who among other things tenderly reports to warn her mother -, the others are by passers-by passing over the Roman bridge. The school bus driver also calls the local police station directly.
The medical helicopter
At 1.48pm – therefore approximately 20 minutes after the first SOS – the Sores Fvg aircraft was activated, with the mountain rescue technician also on board for recovery with the winch. The decision was taken after the arrival on site of the fire brigade ground teams who realized that the situation was dramatic and, after having contacted Drago’s crew via radio, they discovered that the Fire Brigade aircraft had started from just before the take-off phase. The regional health helicopter – which is stationed in Campoformido (Udine), ironically the very town where Patrizia lives -, about 20 kilometers as the crow flies, is on the target in just 8 minutes (in addition to the three standard departure procedures), but when he flies over the Roman bridge the three boys have just been swallowed by the flood.
