An unattended car rolled into a nursery playground on Wednesday afternoon.
The car – a Volkswagen Passat – belonged to a 38-year-old Bulgarian woman who had left her 12-year-old son inside the vehicle while she collected her five-year-old twins from the school.
The car was parked on a hill and it has been hypothesised that the 12-year-old released the car’s handbrake, either by accident or while playing.
The four-year-old who lost his life, Tommaso D’Agostino, died upon impact, while five others were hospitalised.
Two four-year-old girls were flown by helicopter to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, with one in a serious condition.
Frantic parents rushed to the school 45 minutes earlier than usual, after they were notified of the event, traversing the many ambulances, police cars and crying bystanders in search of their own children.
The mayor of L’Aquila, Pierluigi Biondi, has declared that a period of mourning is to be observed until Tommaso D’Agostino’s funeral takes place.
The owner of the vehicle is under investigation for vehicular homicide.
