Three young people, one boy and two girls, are reported missing as a result of heavy rains that hit the Veneto region in Italy.
The Italian police confirmed that at least one of the young people is Romanian, a 23-year-old girl.
The young people were swept away by the waters of the Natisone river, which overflowed its banks.
Shortly before, they called for help by phone, as they were on a small island and the water was rising rapidly, as reported by La Repubblica.
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifies that the Italian authorities have not yet confirmed the citizenship of the missing individuals, as search operations and identification procedures are ongoing.
The three are a 20-year-old girl, a resident of Campoformido (Udine), born in Colleferro (Rome); the other girl, 23 years old, came from Romania three days ago to visit her parents living in Udine. The 25-year-old boy, who was driving the car, lives in Austria but is domiciled in Udine.
Firefighters tried to save them, but failed
Authorities believe that the young people wanted to take a swim but were caught off guard by the rising water level. They were spotted by a passerby who alerted the firefighters, and by the time they arrived, the young people did their best to resist.
The firefighters saw the three, but couldn't intervene to save them. They were trying to resist the current, holding onto each other tightly.
Rescuers tried to approach them with a crane and throw them a rope, but they failed. They were swept away by the current and lost track of them.
It is possible that the three arrived at the scene in a car with Romanian license plates that was observed near the site of the tragedy.
Moreover, the police have gathered useful identification elements. According to the information, the three are residents of Friuli.
Due to the weather, helicopters involved in the search have suspended their activities. The firefighters' aircraft returned to Venice, while the regional helicopter landed at Trieste Airport in Ronchi dei Legionari.
"The Natisone river has a very strong current, is torrential in nature, and has many bends where the missing individuals could have been trapped," said Andrea D'Odorico, who is coordinating the search.