1 killed and 2 injured as driver loses control during a parade in an Italian town

ROME — A man was killed and two women injured when a driver lost control of his car in Italy’s central town of Lanciano on Friday during celebrations for Italy’s 80th Liberation Day, local media and rescuers said.

The driver, an 80-year-old man, reportedly fell ill before hitting the crowd, firefighters said. An investigation was underway.

An 81-year-old man died immediately after being hit by the car, while two women were injured and transferred to the hospital, local media reported.

Italy celebrates its Liberation Day, known as “Festa della Liberazione,” with a national public holiday on April 25. In addition to the closure of schools, public offices and most shops, the day is marked with parades and demonstrations across the country.

The accident in Lanciano happened at the end of the local parade organized by ANPI, the Italian partisans' association that preserves the memory of the Resistance movement against the Fascists.

The ceremonies are held in commemoration of the end of the Fascist rule and the Nazi occupation during World War II, as well as the victory of Italy’s partisans movement.

This year the 80th anniversary of the liberation coincides with the five-day period of national mourning for the death of Pope Francis, with the right-wing government urging organizers to carry out celebrations with due “sobriety.”