The victims’ third sister is now in the hospital after she sustained injuries during the accident.
Rabat – Two girls of Moroccan origin died on Sunday after a tree fell on their family’s tent at a campsite in the Massa-Carrara province, central Italy.
The two Moroccan girls, who live with their family in Turin, Italy, were aged 3 and 14.
The incident happened due to bad weather conditions and strong wind, resulting in the collapse of a tree near the family’s campsite.
The third sister, 19, sustained injuries and she is now receiving care at hospital in the region.
The parents also sustained slight injuries.
Morocco’s Ambassador to Italy Youssef Bella contacted the family of the two victims, expressing “deep condolences and sincere feelings of compassion” on behalf of the embassy and the Moroccan community residing in the country.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also expressed his sadness regarding the “tragic death” of the two sisters.
The official expressed “feelings of sympathy” towards the parents and the relatives of the two victims.
The incident widely circulated among international media.
HuffPost reported that rescuers tried in vain to help the youngest girl, but “there was nothing to be done,” as she died immediately.
The 14-year-old had been rescued but she died a few hours later due to “trauma.”
Marco Lucetti, the president of the Association of Campsites in the area said he felt the wind, which fatally hit only the Moroccan family’s campsite.
He said the “storm of exceptional magnitude and a whirlwind that hit a campsite.”
The president of the campsites added that the wind did not “cause any other damage to other nearby campsites.”
“I understand that at this moment there are many doubts to answer, on the safety of our structures, on the condition of the vegetation that surrounds us, the maintenance of the trees, the communications on the weather alert, but this is not the time,” he said.
