Fatal front‑collision on Taranto’s Statale 106 leaves driver dead, wife and three children seriously injured

On the afternoon of 28 June, a high‑speed frontal crash occurred on the Statale 106 “Jonica” near the ENI refinery in Taranto. A 43‑year‑old driver, identified as Cosimo Panarelli, was travelling in a Lancia Y with his wife, two young children and a niece when the vehicle collided head‑on with a Ford Mustang GT. The impact ripped the Lancia’s engine from the chassis and sent it onto the roadway, destroying the car.

Panarelli died at the scene or shortly after arrival of emergency crews. The wife and three minors were extracted from the wreckage and taken to the Santissima Annunziata hospital in serious condition; the prognosis for the woman and one of the children remains guarded. The Mustang driver, a 70‑year‑old man, was also injured and transported to the San Pio hospital in Castellaneta. First responders included the refinery’s fire brigade, ambulance services (118) and police forces, who closed the road for several hours to allow rescue and forensic investigation. Authorities continue to examine the cause of the collision.