By Canadian Press

Car plows into German tourists in northern Italy, 6 dead

Jan 5, 2020 | 3:25 AM

ROME — A car plowed into a group of young German tourists in northern Italy early Sunday, killing six people and injuring 11, Italian fire officials said.

The deadly crash occurred in a village near Valle Aurina, near Bolzano in the Alto Adige region, shortly after 1 a.m. as the Germans were gathering to board their bus.

The largely German-speaking autonomous region of northern Italy, with its ski resorts in the Dolomites and quaint villages around Bolzano, is popular with German tourists.

The Lutago volunteer fire service said on Facebook that the six dead were killed at the scene. The injured, four of whom are in critical condition, were taken to several regional hospitals, including one who was airlifted to a hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, said Dr. Marc Kaufmann of the emergency medical service.

Sky TG24 quoted Italian carabinieri as saying the driver was from the nearby village of Chienes and had a high alcohol blood content. He was arrested on suspicion of highway manslaughter while being treated at the hospital in Brunico, according to the LaPresse news agency.

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The regional president of Alto Adige, Arno Kompatscher, told a press conference the victims were part of a group of young Germans vacationing in the region. Later Sunday, mourners left candles and flowers at the crash scene, which was located along a two-lane road dotted by hotels and old piles of snow.

The accident occurred on the final long weekend of the Christmas and New Year’s holiday in Italy, which will be capped by Epiphany on Monday.

The Associated Press