Carabiniere hero: “So we saved the lady overwhelmed by the current with the human chain”

“The lady, visibly shocked, was clinging to the guardrail while the water was dragging her away, but by now her strength was abandoning her. And the current threatened to overwhelm her. We intervened in time and we managed to save her. our duty “. The chosen carabiniere Maurizio Anicito, 33, from Catania, does not say it, perhaps out of modesty, but he too risked being overwhelmed by the fury of the water while trying to save a woman, with his three military colleagues. A 40-year-old lady trapped in the water in the flood that hit the Etna capital. And that was saved only thanks to the help of four carabinieri who made a human chain. The end of the human chain was Maurizio Anicito. Who reassured her, encouraged her and brought her to safety, thanks to the help of the three colleagues. “And to a tree that allowed us to hold on”, says the carabiniere. But what happened in that dramatic afternoon in which Catania ended up submerged by the water that overwhelmed everything and also caused two deaths? “We were carrying out regular patrol service through the streets of Catania, when, at 5.05 pm, on the recommendation of some citizens, we were made aware that some people had been trapped in the stream of water at Passo del Fico, inundated by the flood – Anicito says in an interview with Adnkronos – A woman was seen swimming at the mercy of the currents. We immediately gave the alarm to the operations center to alert both the firefighters and the 118 staff. lady on Provincial 55, called Passo del Fico, completely flooded with water, clinging to the guardrail in a panic and in a state of obvious shock. When she saw us, she started waving, she was exhausted. His was a desperate request. help, he was exhausted. ” ‘The woman was exhausted, she could not swim and was in shock’ “Before it was just me and my colleague – says Maurizio Anicito at Adnkronos – then another patrol joined us to help. Thanks to the collective we were able to save the lady. It was 30 meters from us. So, we made a human chain and we reached it. We reassured her, in the meantime we were holding hands so as not to be overwhelmed, our fixed point was the tree. A colleague yes he is clinging to the tree, and one colleague after another we managed to reach the lady. ” The carabiniere also admits “We managed to save her with many difficulties. She was exhausted. Among other things, she could not swim, she was in an evident state of shock. She was confused”. “It seemed that she did not understand what I was saying to her, precisely because in shock – she continues – she clung strongly to me and with many difficulties we were able to take her away from there”. The chosen carabiniere Anicito has completely immersed himself in the water. “It was difficult to be able to stay still because there was mud everywhere, and big logs came on us – he says – again – Water and mud dragged everything away. But we managed to save her. Thanks to the help of all our colleagues there. ‘we took her away and drove her. Then we went to a petrol station waiting for the ambulance. ” Fortunately, the lady had not suffered any damage. He was alone in a state of shock and mild hypothermia. “She would surely be dead – But we got there in time.” Asked if in those moments they realized that they too had risked their lives, he says, spreading his arms: “We do this as a job, we are also ready for this. We are there for this reason”. Maurizio Anicito has been a 12-year-old carabiniere and has been at the Radiomobile Operational Unit in Catania since 2017. “I have seen floods but not like this one – he says – Never seen such a thing. Never. In 2018 there was another similar flood but not like this one”. Anicito, then, is keen to reiterate that “if it hadn’t been for colleagues, for teamwork, we would never have made it”. “It’s true, we took a risk, more or less, but without them I wouldn’t have been able to cling. It was the human chain that saved the lady. The collaboration of all four colleagues”. (by Elvira Terranova)